REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 4
Alright, time for Episode 4. After the last episode set a lot of things in motion, will this episode maintain the momentum or will this crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
The story opens with Jessica (Krysten Ritter), with her Anger Management group. She talks about herself while bouncing a ball and it starts to piss her off so much that she breaks the ball. After that, Jessica goes back to her office where Malcolm (Eka Darville) is there and Jessica shows him that he and Trish (Rachel Taylor), made front page on a magazine with the paparazzi claiming that they are now a couple. Jessica grills Malcolm for letting Trish leave and Jessica fires Malcolm (for like the 1000th time), but he will still work for her anyway. Later on, Trish and Griffin (Hal Ozsan) talk to the press and claim that they are still together and that what is being printed is fake news. Meanwhile, Jeri (Carrie-Anne Moss), gets a visit from Chang (Terry Chen). Chang is pissed that Jeri dropped the lawsuit without consulting him and they both go their separate ways. Meanwhile, Jessica and Trish visit a wig shop where they interrogate Sally who is the owner for information on Hansen. Sally tells them that Hansen comes with no paperwork and pays cash. Trish and Jessica then say they need more from Metro Hospital, which means they need to talk to Max again. Jessica and Trish drive to the movie set and find the lead actress for the movie and talk to her. Meanwhile, Malcolm is at Alias fixing a wall when Chang visits. Chang talks to Malcolm about his past and tries to bring Malcolm over to Chang Consulting so Chang can get intel on Jessica. Malcolm delines and Chang leaves with his offer still open.
Later on, Jeri is walking and sees a woman fall and stares in shock because she thinks that it would be her later on with her ALS. Meanwhile, Max is pissed that his lead actress dropped out the movie and is already gone when Trish and Jessica are waiting by his car to talk to him. Jessica is able to convince Max (After punching a hole through the front of his Tesla), to call Metro and demand all the files on IGH. Later that evening, Jessica is in her apartment bouncing a ball when she get’s a call from Jeri. Jeri is asking Jessica if she has anything on her partners when Jessica only finds expenses that lead nowhere. Jessica get’s a knock on her door, it turns out that Oscar (J.R. Ramirez), is there with a gift for Jessica, it’s Alcohol of course and Oscar also says that he is tearing up the eviction notice as a thank you for saving his son last episode. Before Oscar could leave, Jessica invites him inside so they can drink together. Meanwhile, Trish and Griffin are having intercourse when they two of them talk about how special Griffin is. When Trish wants to have a shower and Griffin gets a call from a mysterious person and Griffin shows that he has a shady side to him. Meanwhile, Jessica and Oscar talk to each other over drinks and it get’s personal when we learn more about Oscar and his wife. All of this leads to them kissing, Jessica tries to take off Oscar’s pants when he stops her and he leaves.
We cut to the next morning when Jessica is on the phone with Trish and she tells Jessica that Max came through with the info and before she could leave, Malcolm stops her at the elevator. Malcolm tries to tell Jessica that Chang visited and offer Malcolm a job. Jessica brushes it off and Malcolm finally tells Jessica that he wants Jessica to actually train him as a PI and he wants 25% of each cases payout. Jessica counters his offer with 20% and they both reach an agreement. Later on, Jeri goes to see her doctor without an appointment and they talk about alternative options for medication. Jeri wants a faster, painless and may be an illegal process to cure her ALS. The doctor doesn’t budge and Jeri walks out of the doctor’s office. Back at Trish’s apartment, Jessica and Trish are talking about the info they got and come across someone named Inez Green who was a nurse at IGH. Green is now homeless and they two set off to find her in an abandoned neighbourhood where the homeless are. They find a homeless man who tells them that Green is in a building nearby and to watch out because she sent someone to the ER just for looking at her wrong. Jessica and Trish go into the building and find someone who attacks Jessica on the upper level while Trish is below and uses the same inhaler that Simpson used. Trish goes upstairs and uses a taser on the woman and knocks her out. Meanwhile, Someone breaks into Alias and steals all of the IGH info and Malcolm walks in at the last minute to discover this. We cut too Jeri on a Russia website buying a cure that is worth a lot of money. Meanwhile, Jessica and Trish interrogate Green about IGH and they find out she was a nurse and Hansen scarred her and broke her physically. Meanwhile, The guy who stole all of Jessica’s files is about the go back to his van when we find out that it is someone from Chang who is trying to one-up Jessica on her case. Hansen jumps down and beats up the guy and Chang calls 911. We then cut to Jessica and Trish driving away with Green in the back when they reach the crime scene where we see what Hansen left behind and Jessica is then arrested right on the spot.
This episode was another great episode and I’m starting to like Season 2 more than Season 1. Season 1 may have had Kilgrave but this Season is telling a more personal and focused story on Jessica that it’s very compelling to watch unfold.
The acting in this episode was also great and is on point with the rest of the episodes so far. The only downside is the stuff with Jeri. I know she is dying and we are supposed to feel bad for her but, it just feels like extra drama tacked on, and it just isn’t doing much or it just doesn’t feel compelling at all. I feel bad for Jeri but if the meds she bought works for her then yay.
I like how Trish used Simpsons Inhaler and this could be the point that Trish develops her own powers and maybe by the end of the season she will become Hellcat. I also really liked how Malcolm is finally stepping up and wanting to have a bigger role in this season. This is great for Malcolm’s character because I really like him and I want to see him do more. He isn’t just the annoying little brother (His exact words) to Jessica and he wants to prove he can be useful.
I also like how Hansen is the main villain of the season right now and she only shows up at the end to make Jessica’s day even worse. It goes to show that they are using her very sparingly but, I would like to see more of her and maybe a little more development so we can know what her true plans are.
A lot happens in this episode and it really does feel like everything is coming together and it feels like something is about to go down and I can’t wait to watch more episodes.
The Verdict:
AKA God Help the Hobo is another great episode of this Season and it really does help put things into perspective. Jessica and Trish are getting closer to solving the whole IGH thing, Malcolm lays down his plans for Jessica and Chang shows just how far he is willing to go to screw over Jessica. I really like where the season is going and I can’t wait to watch more.
9/10
Next up, Episode 5
REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 3
Alright, time for Episode 3. Will this episode maintain the momentum or will this crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
The story picks up where Jessica (Krysten Ritter), and Trish (Rachel Taylor), are on the beach disposing of Simpson body. Simpson also had a car with a bag full of weapons which Trish decides to take as protection. Later on, Trish brings in a shrink at her apartment in order to help Jessica with her memories. Of course with Jessica, it goes nowhere and she leaves Trish’s apartment where Griffin (Hal Ozsan), comes knocking on the door. Meanwhile, Jeri (Carrie-Anne Moss), gets a surprise visit from her board. They discuss the fact that Jeri hasn’t disclosed her illness and the board wants to kick her out. Later on, Jessica gets back to her office where Malcolm (Eka Darville), hands Jessica an eviction notice. Jessica is rightfully pissed and goes to Oscar (J.R. Ramirez), to talk about it. Oscar tells Jessica that she has 30 days to move out and he is afraid of her after what happened with Wizzer. Meanwhile, Trish and Griffin have a fight about what Trish did and they decide to take a break from their relationship because of everything going on. Jessica does more investigating on IGH and her past. She later goes to bed that night and has a nightmare about the meat faced man and there is also tints of Purple surrounding the area (Will Purple Man come back?). Malcolm is able to find dirt on Oscar and Jessica wants him to go question the landlord about it.
Meanwhile, Jessica heads back to IGH search for some clues and she finds a door with the name Dr. Leslie Hansen. Trish picks up Jessica and the two of them talk about what Jessica found and what happened with Griffin. Trish and Jessica head to Hansen’s apartment where they find the place cleaned out. An old man comes to tell them that someone came and moved everything down to the basement of the building. Trish and Jessica head down to the basement where they find a furnace with a burned head inside. Meanwhile, Malcolm goes to the house of the landlord and tries to get him to do something about Oscar when he refuses and slams the door on Malcolm. Later on, Jessica and Trish go to the morgue and plan the head in the storage and put it into the system without anyone noticing. They get one of the employees named Maury and Trish wants him to call her when the ID comes in, in exchange for a favour of course. Later on, Jessica plans to get Oscar out by clogging her toilet as a distraction so she can snoop around his apartment. She runs into his son and when Oscar gets back, he is understandably pissed about Jessica breaking in. Jessica and Oscar talk and Oscar says that he is the one who painted a picture of the landlord’s boyfriend and has done nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, Trish is watching the videos that the Wizzer made when Griffin comes back and scares Trish. The two of them talk things out and Griffin sneaks a USB drive onto the computer. The next day, Jessica wakes up to find Jeri at her door and she hands Jessica a notice that Chang is looking to sue. However, Jeri rips up the notice and instead, she wants Jessica to look into her board partners so Jeri can stay in the company. Jeri then reveals that she has ALS, and wants Jessica to help her before she dies. Later on, Trish wraps up an episode of Trish talk and she gets a call from Hansen herself, asking her to meet her alone later on that night. Jessica wants Trish to not go to her because Jessica thinks it dangerous and she will go instead. Trish insists on going but Jessica sends TMZ a tip that she is dating Griffin and will leave the paparazzi all over her and she also sends Malcolm to block Trish from leaving. Later that night, Jessica goes to Ruddy’s and Hansen comes and the two of them sit and talk. Hansen reveals that she did work for IGH and she was one of the doctors that gave people powers, including Jessica. Meanwhile, Malcolm makes it to Trish’s apartment where she gets a call from Maury saying that the skull was in-fact Hansens. This causes Trish to freak out, her and Malcolm then plan to go to Jessica to tell her what’s going on. They devise a plan that Malcolm will lead the Paparazzi away so they can sneak past. Jessica and Hansen are still talking with Jessica saying that she is going to stop her from making any more super-powered people. The is leads to a mini fight and then a chase where Jessica meets up with Trish and Malcolm outside the building. A lone Paparazzi is grilling Trish when Jessica takes his camera and finds that he got a shot of Hansen before she lept away.
This episode really does raise the stakes tenfold and this episode is like a non-stop bombshell drop after another. After watching this, everything is starting to come together and the conflict is starting to move along at a nice pace. So far this season is able to achieve a steady momentum and has not been boring at all.
The acting in this episode also keeps up with the other episodes and is really great. Even Maury is a great addition to the cast being the Mourge worker and Hansen proves to be scary and also intimidating.
The only downside is the whole Trish and Griffin stuff. I just can’t seem to latch on to what is going on between the two of them. However, it seems that Griffin is hiding something and maybe he is working for someone who is planning to take down Trish or Jessica.
The Verdict:
AKA Sole Survivor is another step in the right direction and really does pick up the momentum this season started out with and brings it to a whole new level. This episode raised the stakes for our Alias crew and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
9/10
Next up, let us see how Episode 4 will play out.
REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 2
Alright, time for Episode 2. Will this episode maintain the momentum or will this crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We pick up with Jessica (Krysten Ritter), at a bar doing her favourite thing in the world, drinking. While there, Jess meets up with a stranger who tells her she a has a nice ass before the two of them go to the bathroom to have sex. The next day, Jess goes to a funeral home to investigate more on Dr. Kozlov. She later finds out that Kozlov is actually dead and when she snoops around the house. We then cut to Trish (Rachael Taylor), who is out to brunch with her new boyfriend when her mother, Dorothy (Rebecca De Mornay), drops by and drives the boyfriend away. It then turns into an awkward mother-daughter brunch where Trish asks her mother for contact info of a former director Trish used to work with, Max. Dorothy gives it to her and they both exchange some hateful comments to each other. While this is happening, Jeri (Carrie-Anne Moss), picks up a hooker. We cut back to Jess who is still snooping when she is attacked by a guy in a wheelchair. Jessica then learns that the man who killed Kozlov is none other than Will Simpson (Wil Traval). Will was presumed dead but Kozlov took him in and tried to fix him after he lost it last season and now Kozlov is dead. Jessica is furious after learning this and tries to call Trish with no answer. Jessica goes back to her home and does more digging on Wizzer and Will when she finds keys in Wizzers bag, keys to Wizzers apartment. Jessica then gets a visit from the police, they are looking to bring her in for questioning about what happened to Wizzer. Jess tells them to go away because she is working and they don’t have a case against her. Meanwhile, Trish calls Malcolm (Eka Darville), for help with a task she is planning to do. Jessica goes to Wizzers apartment and finds a laptop with videos of Wizzer talking on them. She also finds a mongoose in the apartment that got loose and is hiding in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Trish and Malcolm arrive on a movie set where Trish goes to Max and she wants to talk to him. We cut to Jessica coming back to her office where she digs more into Wizzers computer and finds a connection that he was trying to get a hold of Trish so he can tell her his story. Jessica starts to panic when she tries to call Trish again and she doesn’t answer. Trish is waiting in Max’s trailer when she puts her plan into action, asking Max for access to Hospital records through Max’s connections or she would blackmail him with stories about them sleeping together. While they are talking, Malcolm is recording the exchange so Trish can use it against him. Jessica get’s fed up and goes to Trish’s apartment where she only finds Griffin (Hal Ozsan), who is also freaking out about not being able to find Trish. Griffin tells Jessica that she met with her mother at lunch and wanted information from her. Malcolm finds Max who is leaving the set and punches him in the face to scare him. Trish is still on the set when she finds Will is there and she shoots him in the leg. Jessica goes to Dorothy and she interrogates her on what Trish wanted and Jessica finds out where Trish is. Jessica finally makes her way to the set and finds Trish has Will tied up. They both start to question Will and he tells them that someone is after him and he only wanted to protect Trish from IGH. After spilling the beans, the lights cut out and someone comes kills Will.
This episode continues the momentum of the new season and creates a really interesting new villain. I thought that Will Simpson was going to be the main bad but with him presumably dead, he is off the table. I didn’t mention that when Jeri picked up the hooker, it led to one big orgy with 2 other girls as well. This was the least interesting part of the episode because it didn’t really advance the plot and it was just purely eye candy for the viewer.
The acting in this episode was very well done with everyone on point, even including the Mongoose. There was a lot more emotional scene in this episode with Trish revisiting her past and it clearly didn’t sit well with her. It really shows the lengths that Trish is willing to go too for Jessica and you can tell she really wants to help her discover her past.
Only 2 episodes in and I really like where the season is headed. The writing is great and it really does set up the whole mystery with IGH very well and I can’t wait to see what will unfold out of all this.
The Verdict:
AKA Freak Accident is another great episode for the new season of Jessica Jones. We got to learn more about the true motivations of both Wizzer and Simpson and this really helps their characters become less forgettable in the end. Also, we got to see a lot more emotion from Trish and Jessica in this episode and it really helps sell what the characters are going through. I am really excited to watch more and things are really heating up.
9/10
REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 1
It’s finally here! Season 2 of Netflix’s Jessica Jones. After an explosive and intense first season, Season 2 decides to go for a more personal story about Jessica and her true origins. Does the first episode help set the tone?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
Season 2 takes place after Season 1 and The Defenders, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), is now a well-known PI and along with her assistant Malcolm (Eka Darville), they are both running Alias Investigations. Jessica is on a case where a pizza lady wants to know what one of her co-workers is doing and why it takes so long for him to do his job. Jessica finds out the delivery boy is sleeping with his clients (Classic). Jessica goes to receive the payment and show the evidence when the manager wants her to kill the guy and she goes into a whole spiel about how she is not a murder. Next, we cut to Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), who is at a party playing her Patsy character in order to get information for Jessica about her past. She gets the evidence and shows it to Jessica later that night when Jessica scolds her for bringing up the past. The next morning, Jessica and Malcolm open up for business and hear a bunch of cases. One about Lizard People (Classic), one about a missing person and the last one is about a guy who calls himself the Wizzer because he has speedster powers when he is scared. Jessica doesn’t take any of them and then we are introduced to Chang (Terry Chen), who comes to their office with an offer to buy out Alias because Chang is also a successful PI. Chang doesn’t want Jess to steal his customers away and the two get into an argument.
Next, we cut to Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), accepting an award and her board scolds her. Next, we see Trish finishing up her show and her boss comes down to tell her that the ratings are tanking and that Trish should go back to talking about superheroes or do more clickbait like articles. Trish talks to her boss and says that she won’t get Jess on the show because she doesn’t want to exploit her. Next, we cut to Jess trying to get dirt on Chang so she can knock him down a peg. Chang sees her outside and Jess flips him the bird. Jess goes back to her place where Trish and Malcolm are their and Trish brought with her a box with Jessica’s family member ashes. This causes Jess and Trish to fight about Jessica’s past and why she doesn’t want to go back and investigate it. Later that night, Jess sits in silence and finally gets the courage to look at the contents of the box and finally agrees to digging up the past and investigate it. Later the next day, Jess is finally able to get something on Chang by looking at a website of one of Chang’s clients and is able to get a dog back for them. This causes Jess and Change tension which leads Jess to beat on Chang. Jess is arrested at the scene and is bailed out by Trish. Chang later goes to Jeri and tells her she wants to sue Jess for what she did. Later on, the Wizzer comes back to Jess’s office scared out of his mind. This causes Wizzer to finally show Jess he actually has speedster powers and he knocks over Jess’s brother’s ashes and this leads to a chase outside the building that leads to the Wizzers death when part of a construction scaffold collapses on top of him. This is the final push that Jess needs to actually start investigating her past. Jess goes to IGH (Industrial Garments & Handling), which looks abandoned and she starts to have flashbacks to when she was brought in. She slowly realizes that this is the place she got her powers, along with Wizzer and we see that someone else was created there as well but aren’t sure who it is.
Right off the bat, Jessica Jones maintains the momentum that the first season set and decides to go a different direction. This time around, instead of looking for someone to kill because they were bad, Jessica is finally deciding to get answers to her mysterious past and this will lead her to finally discover who made her super.
The acting in this episode was great, everyone is on point and even the newcomers make a great first impression. Chang feels like he is going to be a thorn in Jessica’s side and I can’t wait to see how that is going to unravel. Kristen Ritter also does a great job of showing us a more emotional and vulnerable Jessica now that her investigation is more personal this time around.
The Verdict:
AKA Start at the Beginning is a great first episode to this new season. It sets up the conflict and the main plot for the season nicely and it’s great to see the hard edge Jessica back again for another season. If you watched the first season already, you are probably gonna watch season 2 anyways but, for those who haven’t, I highly recommend you to catch up on what you have missed.
9/10
Next up, Episode 2 of course.
REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fifteenth movie in the lineup, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW1BIid8Osg[/embedyt]
With the first Guardians being a huge success, you know Marvel had to make a sequel. Now, the guardians are back for another adventure full of action, humour and a rockin soundtrack. Does the sequel live up to the hype or does it crash and burn?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it came out last year, you should have seen it already).
The story begins with a flashback to 1980 where we see Ego (Kurt Russel), is driving along with his new love Meredith Quill (Laura Haddock). They crusin along the countryside when they make a stop at a DQ to go out to the forest so that Ego can show Meredith a plant he planted that he promises will grow into something beautiful one day. Flashforward to the present where we see the Guardians on the planet Sovereign. They are on a mission to stop a big monster who plants to drain their batteries. The Guardians engage the monster while Baby Groot turns on the tunes and dances his cares away. The Guardians slay the beast and collect their reward, Nebula (Karen Gillian). Rocket (Bradley Cooper), steals some of their smaller batteries when no one is looking and this later comes back to bite the Guardians in the butt. Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), and the Sovereign soon figure out they stole some batteries and they send their fleet to kill the Guardians. When all seems lost, a mysterious ship comes and destroys all the Sovereign ships. The Guardians soon crash land on a remote planet where the same ship that helped them earlier also lands with them. We soon find out that on that ship is Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Ego who claims to be Peter’s real father.
We then cut to Contraxia where Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his Ravagers are relaxing at a hotel/brothel. A bunch of other Ravagers come to the same place but then leave in disgust once they find out Yondu is there because Yondu betrayed them and broke the Ravager code when he took in Peter as a young boy. Later, some of Yondu’s crew talk bad mouth Yondu and this plants the seeds for a mutiny. However, The Sovereign come and request to speak to Yondu about a job. We then cut back to the planet Ego and the Guardians are on and they talk to Ego about who he is and where he is from. Peter (Chris Pratt), still in shock about Ego being his father still doesn’t believe him. Ego offers to take some of the Guardians to his home planet to show Peter his origins. While they leave, Rocket, Groot (Vin Diesel), and Nebula stay behind with the broken ship so they can try to repair it. Later on in the night, the Ravagers find Rocket and crew and try to ambush him, Rocket sets up a bunch of traps to stop them but Rocket get’s captured in the end. It’s here that the Mutiny finally happens when Taserface (Chris Sullivan), shoots off Yondu’s fin and becomes the new leader of the Ravagers. They put Rocket and Yondu in their holding cells, Nebula joins the New Ravagers and they also take Baby Groot.
Meanwhile, Ego and Mantis take Peter, Drax (Dave Bautista), and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to his home planet which we find out is actually Ego and his Human form is an extension of himself. He goes into detail about how he is a celestial and that his mission was to create life on other planets to help extend his life. We cut back to the New Ravagers where Nebula is given a ship and Baby Groot is being used for entertainment. When Baby Groot is walking around, he stumbles upon Rocket and Yondu and he agrees to help them back Yondu’s Prototype fin in order to control his Arrow and escape. After many failed attempts, Kraglin (Sean Gunn), finally helps Baby Groot get the Fin to Yondu because Kraglin is still loyal to Yondu. Once Yondu puts on the fin, they all escape and manage to get an escape ship before blowing up Taserfaces ship. Before Taserface dies in the explosion, he contacts the Sovereign and gives them the coordinates to where Yondu is headed so they can kill all of the Guardians at once.
Back on Ego’s planet, Gamora is frustrated with Peter because she believes there is more than meets the eye and walks off to blow off some steam from fighting with Peter. While out in the field, Gamora is ambushed by Nebula with her ship. This leads to a chase and fight scene where the sisters finally have it out and share their feelings with each other. While in a cave, they discover something evil, a bunch of Skeletons of Ego’s other children. This is where we finally learn Ego’s true intentions. Ego plant himself on every planet so he can control everyone and everything. He wants Peter to help rule by his side, but after once Peter learns that Ego put the Tumor in his Mother, he refuses and starts to fight his father. This leads to all of the Guardians coming together and coming up with a plan to kill Ego. Rocket builds a bomb using the batteries he stole and get’s Baby Groot to plan it at the centre of the planet (AKA Ego’s Brain). The Guardians try their best to fight Ego while also fighting off the Sovereign who track them down and they destroy the Sovereign ships and get back to the task at hand, destroying Ego. The bomb finally goes off and all the Guardians make it out except for Peter and Yondu. Yondu is able to rescue Peter but pays the ultimate sacrifice when Yondu rockets Peter out to space and gives his air shield to Peter so that Peter can live. This hurts Peter and everyone mourns for Yondu, even the Ravagers who banished Yondu honour his sacrifice in the end.
The acting in this movie is on par with the first Guardians. You can tell that everyone has a formula down and the cast does an amazing job. Except for Taserface and the Sovereign. The Sovereign seem like they are going to become a huge pain for the Guardians but, they come off as bland and one dimensional (I don’t know if this was intentional or not but I’m making a note of it anyway).
The CGI is, of course, your standard MCU budget now. However, you can tell a lot more work and love was put into the effects in this movie. The scene where Yondu, Rocket and Kraglin make the jump to Ego is hilarious and is a highlight of the CGI. Also, all the ships, battles and even Ego himself are amazing. Another shoutout goes to the de-aging of Kurt Russel. Marvel really does know how to make actors look young again and it is impressive to see.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 isn’t better than the first one. However, this isn’t a bad thing, most movie sequels try and top the original one. Vol. 2 instead just tries to stick to the formula of the first one and tell a more personal story then a universe exploding one which is one the movie’s strengths. Everyone wanted to know who Peter’s father was and this is the story of Peter’s father and how Peter deals with that revelation.
The Verdict:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 doesn’t try to top its first movie. It instead decides to answer the question of who is Peter’s dad? The movie succeeds in giving us more Guardians and a very personal story about Family and Fathers. The movie does suffer from killing off both of the main villains again (But who will really remember Taserface anyways?), the parts with Ego do tend to drag on a little bit and Mantis doesn’t get much development before she joins the team. However, if you can look past those flaws, you will find another awesome mix of an adventure with the freaking Guardians of the Galaxy.
8.5/10
Next up, After making his debut in Civil War and winning over audiences everywhere, it’s time for the webhead to get his own solo movie in the MCU, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Luke Cage Season 2 Gets a Release Date Along with Trailer
Sweet Christmas! After hearing nothing for months about Season 2 of Luke Cage. Netflix finally gave us our first look today for Season 2. Not only did they give us a trailer, they also gave us a release date for the new season.
You can watch the trailer down below:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU4Xn__5Qjg[/embedyt]
Luke Cage Season 2 will be available to stream on June 22.
Source: Netflix’s Youtube
REVIEW: Doctor Strange (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fourteenth movie in the lineup, Doctor Strange.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-U_t2pUHI[/embedyt]
With the Avengers now split and everything changed once again. It’s nice to know that Doctor Strange is here to give us a break and give us his origin before moving forward with the new status quo. does this new movie deliver or is it dead on arrival
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 2 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story starts with a flashback when we see Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), with a group of his followers behead a librarian in order to steal pages from one of the mystic books that also contain dark magic in them. This leads to a trippy fight with Kaecilius running from The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). We then cut to Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who is a brilliant doctor who also has a massive ego. After a successful surgery, he then talks to his friend Christine (Rachel McAdams), who is also a former lover of Strange because she talks to him about dating and other things when another doctor comes to them with an x-ray showing that someone has a bullet stuck in their brain. They rush to surgery and Strange is able to get the bullet out. Later we cut to Strange in his fancy apartment (Complete with Spinning Watch display/drawer) when he gets into his Lamborghini and drives off when he gets a call from one of the doctors and starts to give him cases he can work on. Being distracted, Strange gets into an accident causing him to end up in a river. He is later rushed to Surgery when he wakes up to discover that he has destroyed his hands.
While Strange is recovering, he tries to look for options to fix his hands when no doctor will take his case and nothing else will work. He learns of a mystical place that can heal all from a former patient, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt). Strange uses every last resource he has in order to travel to Nepal in search of the palace known as Kamar-Taj. When he is cornered in an ally with some thugs, a mysterious man who has been following him saves him and takes Steve to wear he seeks. We later find out that this man was Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). With Strange in the right place, he talks to the Ancient One asking her about what kind of medicine do they have and she tells him that it’s magic that Strange will never understand. Strange grows frustrated at all of this and the Ancient One finally gives Strange a taste of what power she possesses. When the magic trip is over, Steve wants to be taught by the Ancient One how to perform magic and she rejects him.
Steve is then kicked out and left on the doorstep when he begs to be let back in. Mordo talks to the Ancient One and they both agree to let Strange back in and teach him the ways of Magic. We spend a good chunk of the movie on Steve’s training and at first, he can’t seem to get a grasp on it but then slowly but surely he starts to learn very quickly. Going through all the books, learning all the spells and surprising/harassing the new Librarian Wong (Benedict Wong). However, Strange is hungry for more, he sneaks into the library and gets the Eye of Agamoto. This is an artefact that allows the wearer to manipulate time but it’s really an Infinity Stone. While using the Eye, he is also looking through the forbidden text and restores the lost pages to see what Kaecilius took. Mordo and Wong discover what Strange is doing, they scold him for it and tell him that the power is too much to handle.
With Steven doing more training, one session is cut short because Kaecilius attacks and Steve is then transported to the New York branch of their safe houses. A battle ensues in the safe house and we finally get to learn more about Kaecilius. He then tells Strange that the Ancient One draws her power from the Dark Dimension just like him. While distracted by this new knowledge, Strange is stabbed by one of Kaecilius’s goons and teleports himself to the same hospital that he used to work at. Christine then has to save his life while Strange fights in Astral form with one of the goons who is also in his Astral form. Once Strange is healed, he goes back to the safe house and meets with Mordo and the Ancient One. This is when Strange tells Mordo about the info he just got and both of them start to question everything about the Ancient One. Before they could finish their conversation, Kaecilius comes for Round 2 and this time they take the battle all across New York. Using their powers, they bend, mould and reshape the world around them. This leads the Ancient One to step in and fight her former student and his goons head-on when she is then stabbed. Strange rushes her to the hospital and hopes to save her but she dies right before they both go into their Astral forms and have a nice heart to heart.
This all leads to one final battle in Kong Kong where Kaecilius seems to have the upper hand and destroys the last safe house in order for the dark dimension to consume everything. Strange is able to stop this by using the Eye and reverses time so that the destruction can be stopped. While time is being reversed, everyone gets into a fight. Just before Strange can restore everything, he is stopped and then he gets the idea of going into the Dark Dimension to fight the greatest evil of them all, Dormammu. Dormammu is the one who rules the Dark Dimension and Strange is able to stop him by putting him in a time loop. Once Strange is able to get him to bargain with him, he escapes and Kaecilius and his goons are sucked into the Dark Dimension with him. The day is saved and Strange becomes to new Sorcerer Supreme.
The acting in this movie was great. Almost everyone did a great job and you can tell that the cast had fun making this movie. This is one of the more weird MCU movies but everyone did their part to make it enjoyable for us to watch. However, Rachel McAdams didn’t do a great job and she comes off as one-note and forgettable.
The CGI is hands down the best part of the movie. Once you get to the scene where the Ancient One has Strange go on a mind-bending trip, it is truly something out of this world. Even when they are bending the world around them it is a visual treat to see. This is some of the best effects I have seen from a Marvel movie ever and it will surely stick with you when you watch this movie.
The Verdict:
If you are looking for something different from the MCU and Marvel, you have come to the right place. Doctor Strange is a fun, entertaining and very trippy movie that anyone can enjoy. However, the movie does suffer from the MCU villain problem because once again the villain is killed off. Also, not everyone gets enough time to be fully fleshed out. If you can look past these flaws, then a great time awaits you.
8/10
Next up, once again we take a trip into space with our favourite band of idiots, Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
REVIEW: Captain America: Civil War (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the thirteenth movie in the lineup, Captain America: Civil War.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us[/embedyt]
After Ant-Man proved to be a success, it was finally time for Phase 3 to kick off and what better way to start then with Captain America: Civil War. Does the huge cast of Captain America: Civil War help make the movie a hit or should you pass on this?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 2 years old, you should have seen it already).
A lot happens in this movie so bare with me, this may be my longest recap I have to write. Ready?
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The story opens with a flashback to December 1991 when Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), was still under Russian mind control as the Winter Soldier. We see him carry out an assassination mission in order to retrieve a briefcase with serum in it. We then cut to present day where the New Avengers in Lagos on a mission to stop Crossbones (Frank Grillo), and his team of rouge HYDRA from breaking into the Disease Centre and stealing a virus. Near the end of the fight, Crossbones sacrifices himself with a bomb but Wanda (Elizebeth Olsen), uses her Witch powers to contain the blast and she sends him towards the side of a building causing in an explosion that kills 13 people. Some of which who were from Wakanda (Wakanda Forever!). We then cut to Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.), who shows off some impressive de-ageing CGI which is also supposed to be a simulation. After that, we learn that he is at an MIT conference talking to students when he tells them that he has made a new fund for them and grants all of their projects. After the presentation, we see Tony go to the elevator when a woman is standing there waiting to talk to him. The mother gives Tony a speech on how he killed her son manages to shake Tony to his core. Later we see King T’Chaka (John Kani), who makes a statement on TV about what happened in Lagos.
Everyone meets back at the New Avengers HQ where Tony brings along Secretary of State Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), who we haven’t seen since Incredible Hulk (I think there’s a good reason for that). Who tells the Avengers that they need to be put in check and he gives them the new Sokovia Accords. The Accords would put the Avengers and anyone who signs it under UN watch and it will only allow the Avengers to go if the UN tells them to go. This causes a lot of infighting between the team because not everyone is on board with the Accords. While this is going on, we get see that Zemo (Daniel Brühl), has tracked down the Russian general who lead the Winter Soldier program and tries to get information out of him with no luck. However, Zemo doesn’t leave empty handed, he is able to find files and a red booklet that gives the commands to control Bucky. We cut back to everyone still arguing over the Accords when Steve (Chris Evans), learns that his love Peggy Carter has finally passed on and he goes to London to help with the Funeral. While there, he discovers that his neighbour is related to Peggy, known as Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp). After the Funeral, we cut to Vienna where a conference between the UN, Wakanda and most of the Avengers is supposed to take place. It’s here that we meet T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who came with his father to attend the conference. However, the UN building is bombed and T’Challa’s father is killed by the blast which makes T’Challa the new King of Wakanda. This bombing later sends everyone on a chase when the news shows that Bucky was the one who planted the bomb. With Bucky in Bucharest, Cap tries to warn him before everyone comes after him. This leads to an awesome chase scene where we get to see the Black Panther in action for the first time. Everything leads to a tunnel chase before everyone is stopped and arrested by the police and taken to Berlin where Bucky is put on lockdown in the basement and everyone else meets in the Task Force base.
Zemo then uses an EMP planted at a power plant to cut of the power to the building so he can use the red book to take control of the Winter Soldier. Once Bucky’s mind has been switched, he does on a rampage in the building and nearly escapes before Steve stops his helicopter from taking off and they both take a dive into the water below. Steve then takes Bucky out of the Water and they run off with Sam following them. This causes them to be on the run from the law and this is where we finally get both sides divided with Team Cap and Team Iron Man. Team Cap goes to an abandoned warehouse where Bucky tells Steve and Sam everything he knows about the Winter Soldier program. We learn that there are multiple Soldiers like Bucky but they were all put on ice. Later, we cut to Tony talking to Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), when he then tells her that he is going to bring in someone who can help Team Iron Man. We cut to Queens where we learn that Tony is recruiting Peter Parker (Tom Holland), to his team when he tells Peter that he knows about his Spider-Man powers and he wants to help him with an upgrade. We then cut back to the Avengers base where Vision (Paul Bettany), is watching Wanda and sees an explosion outside. We learn that this was a ruse so that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renier), can slip Wanda out and have her join Caps team. This leads to a fight where Wanda in the end, puts Vision six feet under (Quite Literally but she doesn’t kill him).
Later we cut under a bridge were Sharon was able to steal all of Team Caps gear to help them with there fight. This means that Agent 13 is of course on Team Cap and she seals the deal with a kiss for Cap. Later on, Team Cap goes to an airport parking garage where we meet the final recruit of Team Cap, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). This all leads to the big smackdown of Avengers V Avengers when Cap tries to take Bucky to Moscow to finally find out more about the Winter Soldier program. This all leads to the huge Airport Battle of Team Cap VS Team Iron Man. I won’t go into detail on it but I will say that it is worth the price of admission alone. After the battle is done, Only Steve and Bucky manage to make it out with the rest of Team Cap getting arrested and put into an underwater prison. Tony is able to find out where Steve and Bucky were going and he goes there right after Steve and Bucky manage to get into the old Russian Building. The three of them go deeper into the building and find Zemo is there behind a protective Bunker and he shows the three heroes the footage of Bucky killing Tony’s parents. This causes Tony to lose it and attacks his friends and they all end up in a giant three-way brawl across the building. Zemo escapes and is sitting outside in the snow where Black Panther finds him and stops him from killing himself, forcing Zemo to pay for his crimes because the living isn’t done with him yet. While everyone is still fighting, Tony manages to destroy Bucky’s metal arm and then it becomes Steve V Tony. They beat each other senseless and in the end, nobody wins. Tony’s armour is damaged, Bucky lost his arm and Steve officially goes rogue and ditches the sheild after Tony tells him that it isn’t his. After everything is said and done, Tony goes back to his house and get’s a package from Cap with a letter and a phone. Tony reads the letter it basically says that Steve is sorry for what happened but is still Tony’s friend and will be there if he needs him. We then later see that Bucky is taken to Wakanda and put on ice until Bucky can be free of the Russian brainwashing.
Alright, I am finally done with the story recap, let’s get into the other aspects, shall we?
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The acting is on par with Avengers. Everyone shines and even the newcomers Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman really bring their roles to life and make us want solo movies of their own (Spoiler Alert: They already got them). Daniel Brühl does a good job as the villain and we finally get another MCU villain who doesn’t die this time. However, I feel they should have done more with Zemo because after everything is said and done, he can come off as forgettable.
The CGI is absolutely amazing in this movie. From Spider-Man’s suit and webs to Giant Ant-Man, you can tell that a lot of work was put into getting them right and it pays off with those being the most memorable part of the movie. The fact that we got more Ant-Man after his awesome movie and to see him become Giant-Man is a treat to see on screen.
I really did enjoy the whole splitting the Avengers up but even when you see both sides of the argument, I still find myself agreeing with Team Cap. You can disagree with me on this but Superheroes should be able to operate without the government because as Cap put it in the movie, “Governments have agendas and agendas change”. Team Iron Man isn’t wrong but in the end, they sure ain’t what’s right for the people.
One last thing I want to mention is that Captain America: Civil War doesn’t feel like Caps third movie and more like Avengers 2.5. This movie serves as a better sequel to the first Avengers than Age of Ultron. If we got this as the second Avengers movie, it would have been so much better and it would have stuck out more.
The Verdict:
Much like Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War gave us some big changes to the MCU as a whole. There were a lot of characters in this movie to the point where it doesn’t feel like a Captain America movie anymore. However, Captain America: Civil War is still a fantastic movie. Splitting up the Avengers and introducing new characters really help grow the MCU even more and open it up to a lot of new movie ideas. Captain America: Civil War is a great popcorn flick and is one worth checking out.
9/10
Next up, it’s time to warp reality, space and time with this trippy origin story of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.
REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the tenth movie in the lineup, Guardians of the Galaxy
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d96cjJhvlMA[/embedyt]
After Captain America: The Winter Soldier proved to be a massive hit, Marvel wanted to do something different this time. They wanted to take a bunch of unknowns and make them known. Well, did the gamble pay off or are the Guardians best left forgotten?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 4 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story takes us into space when we meet our new hero, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). After seeing a flashback to the death of his mother, we cut to him entering a temple to retrieve a mysterious orb. Once Peter gets the orb, he is ambushed by a bunch of Kree soldiers who are looking for the same item. A fight/chase goes down with Peter escaping with the orb in the end. After this, Peter gets a call from Yondu (Michael Rooker), who wants Peter to give the orb over to the Ravagers so they can sell the orb and spilt the money. However, Peter tries to cut the Ravagers out of the deal and Yondu places a bounty on Peter’s head. Peter then arrives on Zandar to sell the orb to the buyer. When the buyer learns that Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace), is also after the orb, he backs out and kicks Peter out of his shop. When Gamora (Zoe Saldana), is sent to retrieve the orb for Thanos (Josh Brolin). She intercepts Peter when he is kicked out and tries to steal the orb. However, Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and his friend Groot (Vin Diesel) are trying to capture Peter for the Bounty. This all ends with everyone getting arrested by the Nova Corps and being sent to prison. While in the prison, we meet Drax (Dave Bautista), who wants to kill Gamora for being connected with Thanos. However, once everyone calms down, they devise a plan to escape and bring the orb to someone known as The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). While there, they discover that the orb was hiding an Infinity Stone which powers cause the Collectors Vault to be destroyed. The Guardians leave the vault and they agree to give the stone to the Nova Corps. Before they can do that, they are ambushed by Ronan and his crew who steal the stone and leave the Guardians defeated. Once the Guardians pull themselves together, they go where Ronan’s ship is headed too in order to stop him. Everything leads to an all-out battle on Zandar where the Guardians defeat Ronan and give the stone to the Nova Corps so they can protect it. After this, the Guardians have all of their criminal records dropped and are free to roam the galaxy for their next mission.
The acting in this movie is absolutely stellar. The entire cast of the movie is absolutely perfect and they all have chemistry with each other and have so much fun with their roles that you can tell a lot of fun went into this movie. Of course, the villain of the movie is forgettable because they once again meet their doom while the good guys survive. This trend of killing off their villains is really starting to become a problem because they only good villain that has survived is Loki.
The CGI is out of this world as well. all the sets and planets come to life in a great way and gives the cosmic side of the MCU its own unique identity in the MCU. You have the Kree, Zarnians and other forms of life that all look really awesome and really give a sense of life and density to the film and universe that makes saving Zandar all the more satisfying in the end.
Marvel really does know how to keep the hits coming. Everyone was excepting this movie to fail but the fact that Marvel back it 100% shows that if you show the director and characters some love, anything can be possible (Looking at you Warner Bros. and the DCEU).
The Verdict:
Wow, this movie is awesome. I never thought that a movie with a talking Raccoon and Tree would ever be this damn good. Guardians of the Galaxy is a prime example of how to take a forgotten comic book franchise, and turn it into one of the most marketable and entertaining movies that Marvel has ever made. Although it’s not perfect, Guardians of the Galaxy does enough elements right that in the end so it’s truly out of this world.
9.5/10
Next up, we take a look at another mixed bag of a movie. the long-awaited sequel to the first Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron.
REVIEW: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the ninth movie in the lineup, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbayiPxkUMM[/embedyt]
After another bland entry to Phase 2 with Thor: The Dark World, will Captain America: The Winter Soldier be able to steer the ship in the right direction or will the MCU finally sink?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 4 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story beings with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and his new friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) going for a jog in the morning. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), arrives to take Steve in order to lead a strike team against a stolen SHIELD ship taken over by a private military op. The action goes on and while Steves mission is to save the hostages, Widow has a different mission of downloading SHIELD intel onto a hard drive for Director Fury (Samuel L Jackson). The mission is a success and everything seems to be going to plan when Fury shows Steve what he is hiding from Cap. Underneath the SHIELD Base, they are constructing Helicarriers so they can be used to protect the people. Shortly after, Director Fury is attacked by a new villain called The Winter Soldier and his squad. While Fury is half dead, he breaks into Steves apartment and after Steve finds him, he takes him to a hospital where Fury is presumed dead. With everyone mourning the loss of Fury Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), takes over operation on SHIELD and turns everyone against Captain America and Black Widow. When they both go on the run, they find themselves being hunted down by SHIELD and come across an old SHIELD lab where they find out that after the WW2, SHIELD and HYDRA both joined forces and HYDRA has slowly been taking over SHIELD from the inside. Once they discover this, they bring Sam into their group and when they try and to escape. They are ambushed by the Winter Soldier and are locked into battle with this new foe. After their battle, Steve finds out that the Winter Soldier is actually Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who now has a metal arm. After Steve and friends are captured by SHIELD, they escape with the help of Maria Hill (Coble Smulders), who takes them to see that Fury is actually alive. Once everyone regroups, they go back to the SHIELD Base in Washington for one last assault again the SHIELD/HYDRA Operations. While they are fighting, HYDRA tries to launch the Helicarriers into the air and target about 1 million civilians who are deemed a threat. Once they are brought offline, all of SHIELD/HYRDA files get leaked online and this causes SHIELD to disband with Fury (Dead Man Walking), goes his own way while Steve and Sam try and go after Bucky.
The story seems like there is a lot going on but that’s ok because it is all told in such a fun, interesting and very James Bond way. It’s a mystery that unfolds right before your eyes and it’s a great non-stop thrill ride from start to finish.
The acting is amazing in this movie. Everyone brings their A game with the Winter Soldier and Alexander Pierce being the best and most likeable villains in an MCU movie so far (Aside from Loki of course). Chris Evans is always amazing as Captain America and Evans is starting to embody Cap much like RDI embodies Iron Man. Scarlett Johansson is also badass as Black Widow and continues to show off her #GirlPower.
The CGI is also a huge step up from the last two movies. Everything looks more clean and crisp then what we got more previous MCU movies and the Winter Soldier’s metal arm looks dope as well. Even the fancy tech they use at the SHIELD Bases looks really awesome and makes me wish we had that type of tech that we could use.
Trust me when I say that this movie really changed the MCU as a whole. Not only did it disband SHIELD, it also changed what is possible in the MCU. The fact that HYDRA was able to get into SHIELD without anyone noticing really begs the question, can our heroes trust anyone anymore? These types of ramifications really set this film apart from the others. Captain America: The Winter Soldier dared to change everything and it had the balls to pull it off. All the while doing it in such a great style that it comes out swinging while also asking, “Who’s next?”.
The Verdict:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an excellent movie. Not only is it a great sequel to the first movie, but it is also a fantastic MCU movie in general. What is it about Captain America that Marvel always seems to give him the best movies in each MCU Phase? Whatever Marvel is doing, they need to stick to it because Captain America: The Winter Soldier steers the MCU back in the right direction and also changes it forever as well. If you haven’t seen this yet, change that because it’s on Netflix still (At the time of writing this anyway), and it serves as a great popcorn flick that everyone can enjoy.
9.5/10
Next up, Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmets on because the MCU is going to space! With the next massive hit, Guardians of the Galaxy.