Supergirl: The Sixth And Final Season... Reviewed!
DC's Stargirl: The Complete Second Season... Reviewed!
Shout out to Warner Bros for providing a copy of this product for our review. My opinions are my own.
After watching the awesomeness that was season one of this show... I was really (like seriously) concerned that DC's Stargirl: The Complete Second Season would be kinda sorta DOA. I don't want to say that I didn't trust the writers to deliver but... I don't know them like that (just being honest).
Season one went hard in the paint... and if you have yet to watch the show... consider starting there, or... at least do yourself a big favor and backtrack if you start in season two. You won't be sorry. So does season 2 measure up and lead the team to a 2 for 2 in awesomeness? Let's jump in and find out.
Story: So when it comes to the season two... opener, let's just say you're served up with a blast from the past that gives you an idea of what will be going down this season as far as the main villain goes. It also shows you clues of how Dr. Mid-Nite got revved up to begin with... even if you don't see him in the initial scene. There is also a tie-in between Dr. Mid-Nite and one of the villains that finally showed face in season two.
Anyway, in season one... school was in session, and it's definitely part of Courtney's life as a teen (duh of the day). In season two, school is still in session... to an extent. See what had happened was... Courtney was so focused on being Stargirl (even with no danger in sight), she neglected her studies and found herself in... Summer School taking on dangerous... assignments so that she isn't held back! Dun dun duuunnnn!
Yes, this actually happens, but... I appreciate the writers finding a creative way to keep school in the mix. I would say it adds a level of normalcy, but at the same time... a lot goes down on the campus of Blue Valley High. One of the best fights takes place on campus, but we'll touch on this later.
Season two delivers from chapter one, which is a cool way to title the episodes considering the focus around School. You get introduced to Elipso (considered one of the most frightening adversaries in DC's mythology) that was around to an extent in season one + a new hero (I don't want to give it all away).
Season two actually serves up two new heroes with a possible 7 or more total new heroes (and other heroes are also featured in this season). You can count them yourself and side-eye me if you'd like, but what I've written here is true. The season's chapters have a good engaging balance that keeps the story moving forward with plenty of action to enjoy. Don't believe me? Stargirl slugs it out with a Green Lantern in Chapter One alone, and two of my favorite ISA villains crash the party this season as well.
It's not all about the fighting or Summer School if you're wondering what else this season offers in terms of character progression.
You have Courtney at a crossroads in terms of being a superhero or being a teenage girl (which is how she ended up in Summer school). She's so ready to kick off into superhero mode at times... it dives in the way of her normal life beyond the costume, but it's part of her personality where she gets ahead of herself. After this season, I think her maturity and confidence level will increase but her personality will surely remain intact.
I feel like it's for the sake of appeasing the actress based on something that occurred off the screen in season one... check out our season one review to find out what went down. I won't say it's a bad thing that it was written in, because it certainly happens... but I'll keep as much of the story under wraps so you can check it out yourself. As far as her alter ego goes, it's good to see Dr. Mid-Nite II do more this season and... it might crank up moving forward.
Yolanda is also at a crossroads, even more than Courtney. Courtney is more so on the lines of being put into a position where her decisions put her in situations (i.e. Summer School). Yolanda is dealing with the trauma she suffered from season one, and you will see how it plays out with the decisions she makes in terms of her alter ego.
In regards to Rick Tyler, he's battling assumptions, whether it's assumptions that he's just a step away from being locked up or... that he can't possibly be smart enough to get a really good grade in school.
Not only that, he's still dealing with crap at home with his Uncle who won't put the booze down enough to provide a more stable home for Rick. He's so resentful, he wants to see his own nephew's life hit a wall quicker than he did. It may appear that I'm spilling more of the beans about his story in this review, but... there is more... which makes me wonder what the future could hold for Hourman.
While I could dish on more of the characters, I'll leave it at the main four.
When it comes to Eclypso taking center stage this season, you might get the creep's compliments of his Nightmare on Elm Street type of vibe. Whatever he can exploit... he does exploit and definitely challenges the JSA physically and mentally, and he even takes on someone who came out of left field. I was like damn, can anyone stop this dude? They had to work together more than ever and got help from unlikely sources, but... Eclypso was still owning with a smile.
Overall, it wrapped up nicely with heroic battles, some unanswered questions (mainly about Hourman), and unexpected twists... that includes a few big ones at the end to gear us up for season 3. They must've been listening to me and I can't wait for Season 3 to soar in.
In this fight alone they delivered medium shots, pan + tilts, low angle, worm's eye view, an extreme close up that comes by way of someone's face taking the plunge in the crapper, and almost an over the shoulder aka off the hip type of shot as Stargirl pulled a drive-by with the cosmic staff. The fact that they were really getting busy made it so much better. They even pulled a team combo. So as you see... this episode alone covers all the camera angles you can just about get, but they did a good job sharing the love among other chapters. I'm serving up some random pics, so you can indulge on unspoiled action when you grab a copy of the complete second season.
Audio + Extras: I didn't get the opportunity to listen to this using my usual surround sound setup, but I did get the opportunity to test out the built-in DTS TruSurround in the new office telly. My experience was quite enjoyable because it delivered something on the lines of a simulated surround sound experience... to the extent of what the TV could pull off with its onboard speakers.
Audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Gag Reel (Exclusive to Blu-ray and DVD)
- Never Alone: Heroes and Allies
Batwoman: The Complete First Season... Reviewed!
I want to start my review off by giving a shout out to... Warner Bros. for hooking us up with a free Blu-ray copy of Batwoman: The Complete First Season. The opinions I share are my own.
Batwoman started off... feeling a tad... cheesy. It felt like it was headed in the direction of being on the gritty side like I'm familiar with, but then... they pulled back and pursued snarky remarks and love interests. I get that they were trying to present the backstory, so I didn't trip.
Story: The story revolves around Kate Kane, aka Batwoman (aka Bruce Wayne's cousin)... an ex-soldier who got the boot and returned to Gotham and reluctantly stepped into the shoes of Batman after he went AWOL. Batman was sort of ragged on a bit, and so was his suit prior to modifications... but I let it go (woosah). When it comes to her costume in general, it wasn't bad... had no problem with it... but I was thrown off by the fact that Kate Kane in the show didn't have red hair.
I tried to get into the initial episodes but the tug of war between sibling and foe annoyed me a bit. I think the approach could've been better... but their rivalry rubbed off on me (eventually). My problem was the fact that I was wrestling with a TV show vs the films, and so... I took Batman films off the brain and just watched this as I would any new TV show.
Luckily, I was able to engage once I got a little deeper into the season, and... it began to feel like the Bat was back in some capacity. I don't know though... still sort of felt like Kate was being an interim superhero. I wouldn't just expect someone to jump into the bat's shoes and fill them with ease... but I will get back to why she should've been better (in my opinion).
After letting go of my hang-up... it stopped feeling like somewhat of a Batman tv show and started feeling like the Batwoman show (though he was mentioned more than a few times).
It still felt a tad cheesy here and there (just not as much). If it means anything... I feel that way about a lot of TV shows, which is one reason why I don't watch a lot of TV. They really have to be triple good to change that, and I have to say that Batwoman grabbed my attention 1/4th of the way into the season... that's when the grit (finally) kicked in. Even I was surprised to see that a certain villain's practice was shown in the show, but it felt like something a Gotham city villain would pull and... it worked well for the show. I'm referring to Mouse and what he's known for.
The acting performances got better for me after crossing that 1/4th mark as well, or so it felt like it. Kate was presented as this super-skilled badass before she stepped into the role of Batwoman, and I was scratching my head wondering where all that was.
I wanted to see Batwoman shine, instead of being presented like she should've been a self-conscious sidekick still learning the ropes. She's not Batgirl, she's... Batwoman, but I still tried to keep in mind that it's a TV show so the writing was also stretching things out. Even still... it didn't have to come by way of her appearing like she was a beginner sometimes. Learn the weapons and all that good stuff, get better with that... but don't leave her badassness up for debate.
Visuals: The cinematography looked good with some solid angles, and even if I wasn't crazy about the way the flashbacks looked... I really enjoyed the night scenes. Call me crazy but Elizabeth Kane had the best looking scenes, there was just more depth in my opinion... and frankly, I think she stole the show.
Audio: The DTS-HD Master Audio was cool, although... I couldn't get behind the theme music. It's just not that memorable, it felt... blah and the background music forced me to turn down the volume because it was louder than the standard volume at times. If I can recommend anything, it would be to update Batwoman's theme music, it should sound more heroic. I remember all sorts of theme songs from my childhood, and I'd like to hear some memorable music for the heroine. Her music doesn't come close to Buffy The Vampire Slayer's theme or even... Charmed from back in the day. Step it up.
Oh yeah, another part I really didn't care for was the Crisis On Infinite Earths... and not because it was bad.
Why bring it in at part 2 without showing crucial segments of what previously occurred in part 1? That would bring viewers of this season of Batwoman up to speed on what happened to actually wrap her up into the situation.
I really didn't care for that because it pulled me out of the story during my binge-fest before I was tossed back into Gotham, but I didn't fret about being left out of the loop too much because of the bonus disc (it was just weird). I would've preferred episode be left out other than being brought up to speed on how it impacted... Gotham. Anyway, Batwoman: The Complete First Season includes a limited-edition bonus disc with all five episodes of the DC crossover event "Crisis On Infinite Earths" + 20 episodes of Batwoman, and 6 bonus features.
DC fans get to indulge on extras like:
On The Set
The Best of DC TV's Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
In total, you're looking at almost 900 minutes of superhero action feature Batwoman, and the action is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and... Digital.
Batwoman stars Ruby Rose of John Wick: Chapter 2, Rachel Skarsten of Birds of Prey, Elizabeth Anweis of NCIS: LA, Camrus Johnson of The Sun Is Also A Star, and many more.
Price: The DVD is priced at $39.99 SRP and the Blu-ray at $44.98. There are a crapload of episodes and bonuses to justify the price of this... so no complaints here. One missed opportunity was the fact that they could've had a Collector's Edition bundle that included the Batwoman statue and a collector's comic.
Overall, I think it's a pretty decent show. The story came together and it was set up well enough for a second season. Season two should prove to be very interesting... but I won't get into the details of why.
From the Source: EA - Mirror's Edge Catalyst... Closed Beta!
When I see this reboot, I wonder if it was inspired by the reboot of Tomb Raider. If so... I hope they're inspired to make it just as worthy of going head to head in its own individual way (I feel confident that they'll hit the mark as long as it isn't rushed... because money well invested will pay off)!
Could this be the year of heroines? If so, that's fine by me... bub!
We’ve been dying to show you more from Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst - and now’s the time. Discover Faith’s amazing journey with this new trailer - from carefree thrill-seeker to true heroine. You’ll also get a taste of what you’ll experience as a Runner: unique free running and combat in the stunning yet perilous city of Glass.
This is just the beginning. In the upcoming months, you’ll learn more about Faith’s story, the world around her, and the amazing gameplay ofMirror’s Edge Catalyst.
The Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Closed Beta will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and on Origin for PC. Stay tuned for more info on the Closed Beta, when it’s coming, and other details.Sign up for a chance to play the Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Closed Beta
*CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS APPLY. SEE EA.COM/EAACCESS/TERMS AND EA.COM/EAACCESS FOR DETAILS.
**CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY. SEE https://www.origin.com/en-us/