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Basketball, Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

Are the Monstars the Most Overrated Basketball Team of All-Time?

In the era of NBA superteams, a popular…meme (?) is to visualize such teams like the Monstars. For any basketball fans who haven’t seen Space Jam (I’m assuming single digits here), the Monstars were a group of aliens from Moron Mountain. Mr. Swackhammer was looking for a new attraction for Moron Mountain as it was not profitable anymore and looked to add the Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny accepted a challenge for a basketball game to determine the Tunes fate, but not before the aliens stole the powers of several NBA players (we’ll get to that). Bugs went out and kidnapped Michael Jordan and convinced him to play for the Tunes (already making Bugs a top tier GM, for what it’s worth).

                The idea is that the Monstars are this big favorite, and it’s why the Warriors are jokingly compared to them. But for anyone who really knows basketball, it’s clear the Monstars built a deeply flawed basketball team that never stood a chance against MJ. So here are seven reasons that the Monstars are the most overrated basketball team of all-time. Note, I am assuming that since the story took place when Michael Jordan was off playing baseball, the events of Space Jam took place after the 93-94 season, but I’ll refer to 94-95 a bit. Also for reference, the Monstars are Pound (Charles Barkley), Bang (Larry Johnson), Nawt (Muggsy Bogues), Bupkis (Patrick Ewing) and Blanko (Shawn Bradley). I am also including the box score of “the Ultimate Game” at the end of the article.

                1. The Monstars Didn’t Consider Team Building at All, They Just Put Together Some Stars

                A lesson later proven with the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, you can’t just put together a bunch of stars and expect to put together beautiful basketball. The Monstars have one defensive force (Ewing). Bogues at least could come up with steals, but he’s not exactly Gary Payton. Otherwise we have defensive zeros (Barkley, LJ) and someone who probably was posterized more than anyone else in NBA history (Bradley, although he’s defensively underrated I guess). Perimeter defense is a disaster here (LJ or Barkley at SG?!)

                Outside shooting is also a mess. Bradley obviously contributes nothing there. Ewing had a nice outside game for a center, but not from three-point land. Bogues shot just 16% from three in ’94 (27.8% for his career, although he randomly has a 41.7% season on decent attempts later on). Johnson hadn’t cracked 30% from three yet at this point, although he would get up to 38.6% in ’95, a solid number. Barkley’s coming off a 27% season and never cracked 34% in his career (26.6% total). So far we have a below average defensive and outside shooting team.

                Lastly, where’s the passing going to come from? While the offense can definitely flow through Barkley (4.6 APG in ’94), we have no other real playmakers other than Bogues. Ewing’s weakness was passing out of the post (as, according to Jack McCallum wrote in Dream Team, MJ would tease Ewing about often and cited that as the reason Ewing couldn’t win a ring). LJ could get some assists as well, but watching him I think it’s clear that passing the ball wasn’t a priority. Shawn Bradley is Shawn Bradley.

                Overall, the main offense focus of the Monstars would be inside scoring with three inside scorers, Bradley and Bogues. Would that even work in the NBA today? For what it’s worth, the actual game against MJ and the Looney Tunes had Ewing and Barkley score 71 of the Monstars 77 points. LJ had 6 while Bogues and Bradley didn’t score a point (or take a shot). Bogues had six assists at least.

This is the greatest team of all-time?

2. The Monstars had Shawn Bradley on the Team

                Nothing reads best team of all-time like Shawn Bradley at center. While Bradley is a bit of an underrated talent, his rookie season averages in ’94 of 10 PPG, 6 RPG and 3 BPG weren’t scaring anyone. You hard do you think MJ laughed when he read the script and saw that the Monstars had Shawn Bradley at center? I also think it had to be a joke that Bradley’s character is named Blanko, and he failed to record a single stat in the entire game.

I doubt MJ was concerned about Shawn Bradley

3. The Monstars had a Clear Talent Advantage, And Allowed Some Embarrassing Baskets

                Despite the Monstars having Bradley and the Tunes having MJ, the Monstars clearly had a massive talent advantage on paper. Afterall, Bugs, Lola et al. never had even played a game of basketball before. While we knew this would be all MJ for the Tunes coming in, he got some contributions from the supporting cast that the Monstars simply have no excuse for. Lola Bunny dropped 8 on 4/4 FG. Bugs had 10 with a few assists. Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Pepé Le Pew all managed baskets (if only the Monstars stole Gary Payton’s powers).

                The defensive contributions of the Looney Tunes were also somewhat impressive. Bupkis/Ewing got his shot blocked by Wile E. Coyote’s dynamite (interestingly, Wile E. isn’t credited with the block. I’m sure that screwed up some people’s fantasy teams). The Looney Tunes stepped up and the Monstars allowed a lot of characters without the same basketball pedigree to beat them. Very embarrassing.

Where’s the defense?!

4. The Monstars Allowed Newman From Seinfeld (Stan) To Score A Basket

                Worth its own section. This is more embarrassing than Fudd or Le Pew for sure. The Monstars fouled him and all but it didn’t matter. This was a clutch basket as it put the Tunes within one point as well.

This guy was able to hit a clutch shot? NEWMAN!

5. The Monstars Blew a 66-18 Half-Time Lead

                Ouch. Worst yet, they scored 11 points in the 2nd half, which means the Tunes let up less in the 2nd half than the Stars let up in the 1st half. It’s worth noting that while allowing 18 in a half is impressive, scoring 66 is truthfully nothing special in a game like this. MJ is great, but is he really come back down 48 at the half great? Speaking of which…

6. Jordan Didn’t Have Pippen, and He Won Anyway

                Michael Jordan didn’t even have his trusty superstar wingman with him here. I know a lot of people like to say Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen, but the proof is right here. We don’t know how Lola Bunny’s skills would translate to today’s game, but I doubt it would be at the level of Scottie. Teams have taken down Jordan before (the ’86 Celtics, ’95 Magic). The Monstars, like the Trail Blazers and Suns before them, and the Sonics and Jazz after, couldn’t.

“Nah, I think I’ll let Scottie sit this one out”

7. Perhaps the Most Overlooked Reason That Shows The Monstars Are Overrated: No Monstar Has Ever Won a Ring.

                The biggest mistake of the aliens? Picking players who couldn’t get the job done. Barkley got close but Jordan took him down in ’93. Ewing just failed in ’94, and Jordan had stopped him plenty of times. Closest LJ would get is being a role player for the ’99 Knicks when they lost in the Finals. Bradley and Bogues never sniffed a ring. We understand how important the ring is for historical purposes…so how can this team be considered so great when all of its players never won it all? (MJ had won three at this point).

No Monstar has one

                The Looney Tunes were the favorite as soon as they got MJ. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently.

The box score.
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The Simpsons 1st Season Review

We’re looking to review every single season of the Simpsons…but doing a short review of EVERY single episode. Each episode will get a grade, as will each season. First, a little preview.

Season 1

The Tracey Ullman Show was one of Fox’s earliest programs as it had recently taken off with Married…With Children. The Simpsons was an animated short, or bumper, in-between segments and commercials during the program. With Fox still looking to add content as a fledging network, the Simpsons would get spun-off into its own show. There were production problems early on as some of the animation looked terrible for the intended series opener (which in turn became the season finale, “Some Enchanted Evening”). The series began much later than expected and with a Christmas Special (intended to be the eighth episode in the series).

Episode 1 (1) – Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire

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                In a lot of ways this is a classic despite that a lot of peak Simpsons’ traits are absent here. There’s no crazy version of Homer, he wouldn’t really appear for a few more seasons. Instead Homer’s just a normal man trying to make his family happy for Christmas. He’s relatable in that sense. And while that version of Homer isn’t what made the character famous, it does work. We establish a lot of main and side characters here, which is quite impressive for a 23 minute episode. Bart does no less than three things that show he’s the bad boy, a character that carried early Simpsons seasons (those three things are ruining the school play, getting a tattoo and pulling “Santa’s” beard). Lisa has her moment as well when she defends her father against her aunts, using a detailed explanation that clearly seems advanced for an 8 year old. Marge shows to be the kind hearted matriarch of the family, and even gets a good moment herself (where she hides the Christmas money). Flanders, Mr. Burns and Barney also provide a lot in their few moments. Flanders becomes the neighbor that Homer sizes himself up against…and fails miserably in doing so. Mr. Burns says one thing and you already get an idea of the kind of boss he is. And Barney is, well Barney. There’s a lot here and it’s a great episode as a result. It’s just a bit jarring when you know what’s coming in the seasons ahead.

Grade: A

Episode 2 (2) – Bart the Genius

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                We learn a lot about Bart here and get to see him interact in the school environment. It’s pretty amazing that characters like Ms. Krabappel and Martin Prince didn’t really change much at all in regards to their core identities. Same goes for Principal Skinner in some respects, although he would become a much great source of comedy later on. While the strength of the episode lies within Homer being proud of Bart’s discovered intellect, the rest of the characters and episode falls flat a bit. It also isn’t drawn all that well either. There are a few great gags in there though (like Homer giving Bart his tie). There’s nothing really wrong with “Bart the Genius”, but it doesn’t really stand out either.

Grade: B-

Episode 3 (3) – Homer’s Odyssey

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                “Homer’s Odyssey” is the weakest episode so far, although that could be because it was the very first episode written. There are only a few highlights here, mostly centered around Bart and his antics. He provides an entertaining first few minutes and we also get the first prank call to Moe. Once Homer is fired from the Plant, the story takes a nosedive. Homer goes from being depressed and nearly committing suicide to realizing his purpose in life is to make sure Springfield is safe. This all results in Homer getting a new position at the Plant, Nuclear Safety Technician. While it’s funny that Homer (correctly) thinks to himself that he’s grossly underqualified for the position, the whole idea of course is silly in future seasons when we see Homer at work. Nonetheless that can’t be held against the episode as it was the first one written afterall. What can be held against the episode is that Homer’s story isn’t much and the episode suffers for it. On the bright side, we did get the first prank call to Moe from Bart and the first instance of Mr. Burns not knowing who Homer is, both of which would become two long running gags.

Grade: C

Episode 4 (4) – There’s No Disgrace Like Home

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                Another weak episode here, even weaker than “Homer’s Odyssey”. The entire episode is based around Homer feeling that his family is dysfunctional. Homer as the moral center of the family, a position Marge would usually be in, just feels odd and doesn’t work. While there’s a few solid jokes in this one, there’s really not much else. The fact that the family bonds because they are deemed too unfit for Dr. Marvin Monroe pales in comparison to the stories of the first three episodes. It’s also jarring a bit to see Lisa being as much a troublemaker as Bart. On the plus side, Itchy and Scratchy make their debuts here so there’s that.

Grade: D

Episode 5 (5) – Bart the General

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                A truly great episode as it foreshadows what made the Simpsons great. While we start off with another standard family story; Bart defending her sister and getting beaten up by a bully as the result, the conclusion is ridiculously over the top that it’s great. We get introduced to Nelson Muntz, who would become one of the most popular recurring characters. We also get introduced to Herman, who while having a big and entertaining role here isn’t used nearly as much in the future. Grampa Simpson is also here and has some funny moments, although like Homer he isn’t in peak form yet. With that being said everyone gets their moments, and Bart clearly breaks out as a star here. I’m pretty sure every 10 year old felt like and wanted to be like Bart after this one.

Grade: A

Episode 6 (6) – Moaning Lisa

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                Your opinion of this episode will probably be based on whether or not you like the Lisa Simpson character. We learn a lot about Lisa and how much playing the sax means to her. When she meets Bleeding Gums Murphy, a memorable character in his own right, Lisa finally finds someone she can connect with. The result of her arc here has a satisfying conclusion for sure. It’s a bit unfortunate though that the side story involving Bart and Homer steals the episode. Homer and Bart face off in video boxing, which reaches a funny conclusion in itself. We also learn a little bit about Marge and how she was raised. Overall a really good episode with memorable characters…but if you don’t like Lisa you may not like it. There’s a scene with Maggie that made me laugh out loud as well.

Grade: A-

Episode 7 (7) – The Call of the Simpsons

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                Pretty much everything that made the Simpsons great is here. The first third of the episode, where Homer looks to upend Flanders by buying a nice RV than him, is pure gold. The Simpsons getting stuck in the wild perfectly captures all the Simpsons and even gives us a glimpse of the crazy, insane Homer we get in future seasons. Maggie too has some highlights. Everything works in “The Call of the Simpsons”. The last act can’t be forgotten, where Homer is mistaken for Bigfoot! Of course hilarity ensues there too. Best episode so far and again, all the pieces that made the Simpsons such a great show in its first 10 years are here.

Grade: A+

Episode 8 (8) – The Telltale Head

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                This is yet another classic Simpsons episode, as well as another that primarily focuses on Bart. It does employ one of my favorite storytelling devices, a frame story beginning in media res. You see Homer and Bart with the head of the town founder Jebadiah Springfield and an angry mob looking to kill them. How the heck did we get here? Bart tells us what happens and it’s little more than a tale of a young boy succumbing to peer pressure and doing something stupid to fit in and be popular. The episode definitely continued to push Bart as the star of the show, and no doubt kids watching probably related with him (something the first season of the Simpsons has done quite well with Homer and Bart). There are some good moments too, Homer in church is definitely a highlight as well as the tormenting of the poor Sunday School teacher with ridiculous questions about who gets to heaven. We also see some characters for the first time (Apu, Krusty, Jimbo, Kearney, Reverend Lovejoy) which is cool, although we only get anything substantial with the bullies. With that being said for a classic episode it feels a little flat. The tone is closer to “Bart the Genius” than the greatness we got in the last few episodes. I also think the characters highlighted in the mob were a bit odd. I get Mr. Burns would care, but seeing him in this angry mob alongside the Skinner’s and Abe Simpson’s of the world felt off. Good, but not great episode.

Grade: B

Episode 9 (9) – Life on the Fast Lane

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                This is the first time we get an episode that focuses on Marge’s character. Her love for Homer is tested after Homer buys her a selfish birthday gift that he intends to use for himself (a bowling ball engraved with the name “Homer”). She decides to spite him and use it herself. She ends up catching the eye of Jacques, a professional bowler who clearly wants something romantic with Marge. The story is fine, although the actually conclusion seems undeserved from Homer’s perspective and that’s a major gripe from me. Homer doesn’t correct his wrongdoing or anything. He just fears his marriage is falling apart and he doesn’t offer much to fix it. So things working out for them solely works because of Marge’s love for Homer and her family. I suppose that’s great characterization for Marge but it feels so undeserved. Perhaps if there were more scenes with her and Bart and Lisa I’d buy it more. Interestingly the producers spoke about how female fans of the series were frustrated with the conclusion. I can understand why. With that all being said this episode still gets a good mark simply because of its moments and the performance of Albert Brooks as Jacques. The moment Homer unveils his gift for Marge is a great sequence. Marge’s dream about Jacques is visually amazing, especially considering this is still season 1 animation. Jacques is voiced in such an over the top way it’s nothing short of brilliant.

Grade: B+

Episode 10 (10) – Homer’s Night Out

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                There’s not much to this one. Homer gets caught dancing with an exotic belly dancer by Bart’s spy camera and Marge is furious. There’s ultimately a good lesson to be learned here about women not being treated as objects but other than that and a little of Bart’s mischief it’s a forgettable episode. Also, if you’re following each episode as a chronological story (which…it’s probably best not to) it’s really disappointing to see Homer in this spot after Life on the Fast Lane and the choice Marge made. There aren’t many laughs here either. Bart and his spy camera pretty much take up the good scenes and other than that and Carl’s debut (with a much different voice) this episode is just there.

Grade: C

Episode 11 (11) – The Crepes of Wrath

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                “The Crepes of Wrath” is a strange episode that foreshadows some of the over the top plots we’d get in future Simpsons episodes. In order to get rid of him for a few months, Principal Skinner comes up with the idea of sending Bart to France in a foreign exchange program. Homer’s fed up with Bart as well, so he and Skinner are both excited to send him off. The Simpsons get an exchange student in return who seems quite perfect. Bart’s side of the story takes an ugly turn as he’s forced into child labor which paints Bart as a sympathy figure who saves the day in France. Meanwhile it turns out the student the Simpsons got back is a spy for another country. Neither side is particularly entertaining other than Homer not realizing he’s giving a spy tons of blueprints and plans to “an unfriendly country”. Also in Homer’s case, these last three episodes showed a really disappointing turn in Homer’s lack of commitment to his family, especially from what we saw in the first few episodes. There are some high points for sure here though, basically all before the two stories come together. Bart’s prank on Skinner’s mother continued that bad boy image that made Bart a star. And, as we’ll get to in later seasons, slapstick violence on Homer Simpson just seems to be money and we get a little bit of that here. I can’t say I liked this episode though. It gets a little bit of a bonus for what I said about foreshadowing over the top storylines in the future though.

Grade: C+

Episode 12 (12) – Krusty Gets Busted

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                From a theoretical sense this episode probably isn’t considered to be that great. Other than a few moments (the moment Homer sees Krusty in the Kwik E Mart for example) it’s not really an episode played for laughs and the only characters who really get any screen time are Bart, Lisa, Krusty and Sideshow Bob. With that being said who cares! There’s a really good story here and a well done mystery as well. If you were watching it for the first time you can figure out what happened pretty quickly in regards to the crime. Both Krusty and Sideshow Bob are memorable characters right out of the gate and we also establish one of the great rivalries of the Simpsons that’s still being used today: Bart vs. Sideshow Bob.

Grade: A-

Episode 13 (13) – Some Enchanted Evening

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                This was supposed to be the Series Premiere as opposed to the Season Finale and it shows. The first season of the Simpsons really developed as it went on and as a result “Some Enchanted Evening” feels out of place. That’s not to say some things don’t work because they definitely do. Bart and Lisa’s prank calls to Moe are always good for a laugh and Ms. Botz is an entertaining antagonist. Everything else misses though. We already had two episodes focusing on Homer and Marge’s marriage and for the most part those episodes were stronger.

Grade: C

Season Review

                To be honest I found the 1st season of the Simpsons to be stronger than I remembered it. It’s rather impressive that so many characters that appeared in the season stayed true to their original selves. The only real changes you see over time is like to Moe, who really just becomes a more involved character, and others like Carl Carlson who just needed an identity. The template for the Simpsons peak that would take place over the next nine or ten years was set in stone here. You just have to weave through some of the growing pains too.

Grade: B+

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F1-USGP and Taylor Swift

F1 USGP –Austin, Texas

I wanted to write this article because the US F1 Grand Prix at Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas is quickly approaching. This year’s race weekend, (October 21-23) is on pace to be bigger, better, and more exciting than ever! I am very excited to share that I will be attending the festivities all weekend long. The race is sure to be a good one!

The announcement that superstar performer and 10x Grammy Winner Taylor Swift would be headlining a concert (her only concert of 2016) during this year’s race weekend enticed a lot of non race fans to attend from all over the world. Speculation that this may be where Taylor debuts new music will likely even bring more attention to the race. But that is something we will just have to wait and see. More recently, additional festivities were added including a post-race concert from R&B artist The Weeknd, a downtown takeover fan fest, and performers and acts of all types at the track!

The just under 200 mile race will take place on Sunday, October 23 and is certainly going to be one to remember. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are neck and neck in the championship standings. Also of note is that this race will be one of the final events for talented Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, who tearfully announced his retirement earlier this year.  Massa has been a driver for a long time and his career almost ended in a tragic fashion during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Massa was struck in the head by a part that came loose from a car in front of him; that piece fractured his skull and nearly ended his life.

Fans from everywhere are hoping that the race weekend will be wonderful. Last year, the race did not go as planned because of a big rainstorm. Hopefully this year, the weather is sunny and rain free!

Since I am most excited about the Taylor Swift concert, I thought it would be fun to name the 15 songs that I think are going to make up the set list.

First up is music from Taylor’s self titled album which was released in 2006.

1) Tim McGraw- (her first single). This would be a throwback that would mean a lot to her fans.

2)Our Song-a song that Taylor wrote for a high school talent show. This song was very popular and is an exciting, cheerful hit that would be sure to bring smiles to the audience’s faces.

Other songs that did not make the cut: Teardrops On My Guitar—this song is wonderful and full of emotion but sadly, I don’t think Taylor would include it in the set list because the person this song was written about got into some legal trouble for abuse of a child earlier this year.

Next is music from Taylor’s second album, Fearless, which was released in 2008.

3) You Belong With Me- a mega hit that Taylor wrote during her time in high school that is totally relatable. This song is often requested and may be my favorite Taylor Swift song of all time!

4) Fearless- this song really encompasses the theme of going for something even if you are afraid.

5) Fifteen- a song about growing up and learning important lessons that Taylor wrote about freshman year of high school. The line “Back then I swore I was gonna marry him but I realized some bigger dreams of mine” would be the perfect time to pause and look at the crowd for some much deserved applause.

Speak Now, which came out in 2010, is next on the list.

6) Love Story- a very well known and well liked song. Taylor loves playing this one at concerts (it has been on every tour’s set list). Most recently, it got a 1989 remix. It will be exciting to see what she does next!

7) Mean- a catchy song with its country twang that she wrote about a critic has become an anti bullying anthem showing that whispers behind your back don’t define you.

8) Sparks Fly- This song has a great sound and seems to be loved by Swift and her fans. Taylor included this song on the set list for 2 tours.

RED is the next album and it was full of hits. It came out in 2012.

9)We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together- So catchy. Great Break Up Song that Taylor wrote when an ex came back to her.

10) I Knew You Were Trouble- Powerful song that got a remix for the latest tour but is sure to delight.

11) 22- Basically EVERYONE KNOWS THIS SONG. This will get people dancing and is so fun. I’m looking forward to it because this would be the only time I’d get to hear 22 live while being 22!

1989. Record Breaking and Iconic, 1989 is the album of the century….ok maybe the greatest of all time.

12) Blank Space- a satirical song about the media’s opinion of Taylor. Described by her as “the biggest song I’ve ever had”

13) Shake It Off- a true earworm. A well known , feel good song for all ages.

14) Out of The Woods- Swifties love the power that this song has. One of the most loved tour performances and the song Taylor decided to perform to open this year’s Grammy Awards

15) Style- A fun song that encompasses the feel of the album.

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RDT World of Sport Hall of Fame Inductee #1: Muhammad Ali

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alihof

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Career Boxing Record: 56-5 (37 KO)
Three-Time Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World
Ring Magazine All-Time Ranking: #1
ESPN.com All-Time Ranking: #2
Gold Medalist – 1960 Summer Olympics

With the grace of a butterfly and a sting like a bee Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest boxer of all-time. He defeated all of his rivals, some in an ironic, dramatic fashion. Everything Ali did in the ring and out was iconic. He got under the skin of Sonny Liston, both literally and figuratively and trash talked him before and after the fight. He converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, which led to him evading the draft years later. He became a symbol against the Vietnam War. He affected young blacks just as much as Martin Luther King Jr. did. His three fight series with Joe Frazier had taglines such as “Fight of the Century” and “Thrilla in Manilla”. He outboxed (rope-a-dope) George Foreman in “The Rumble in the Jungle”. He was a master showman, arrogant and confident to no end. At the same time so many have called him the greatest person they’ve ever met (George Foreman is one example).

An amazing boxer, showman and ambassador (to not only boxing, but as a black American), Muhammad Ali deserves to be recognized in every way possible.

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RDT Reviews Captain America: The First Avenger

Big spoilers here…I mean the film has been out for five years now

Captain America: The First Avenger has one goal and it accomplishes it: provide an origin story for Captain America (I suppose it sets up some things for The Avengers as well). It accomplishes this goal in a straightforward manner in a very good but not quite great way.

The First Avenger is a classic zero to hero story. Steve Rogers is a skinny kid in Brooklyn with a great heart and fighting spirit. He’s found by a scientist for the U.S. military who’s directing a project to create the ultimate super solider and thinks Rogers the right choice because of his personality. It turns out he’s right, as Rogers is transformed into Captain America, proves his worth, and takes down the Nazi organization HYDRA, led by the Red Skull. It’s a basic but good story that gets the point across.

The First Avenger is made up of several mini-arcs that work, yet are rushed. He starts off as that skinny kid that no one believes in (and may be smarter than everyone else too), but rather early in the film he’s transformed into Captain America. He’s stuck as a symbol of the American effort in World War II, another interesting direction, but then decides to go on his own and free soldiers (including his friend “Bucky” Barnes). Agent Carter falls for him, sees him kissing someone else, gets mad then falls for him again. It works…but again it’s rushed. Admittedly his friendship with Bucky is underdeveloped…but still good enough.

Some of the performances work really well here. Tommy Lee Jones is great as Colonel Chester Phillips and Hayley Atwell is just as great as Agent Carter. Hugo Weaving is a very good villain as well as his Red Skull is one of the more memorable Marvel villains in the MCU (whatever that’s saying). Chris Evans wasn’t bad either.

Perhaps I didn’t say much in this review but in turn there’s not a lot to say. There’s much more good than bad and we get a good origin story for Captain America. There’s nothing in this film I would particularly classify as bad other than it being a bit rushed.

We also had one of the better final scenes of the MCU…when Cap wakes up in modern day NY, setting up the Avengers. Just a great scene.

Pros:

+Agent Carter is great, and the Red Skull is one of the more memorable MCU villains.

+Zero to Hero story done quite well.

+Establishes the Captain America character well.

+It was cool to see Howard Stark in action.

Cons:

-Some plot points are a bit rushed.

A good film that establishes Captain America for the MCU. There’s not much bad here at all and a whole lot of good.

Grade: B+

 

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RDT Reviews Thor

Big spoilers here…I mean the film has been out for five years now

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first began watching Thor. Thor is a bit of an outsider when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as he, unlike the others (up until this point) isn’t an Earth-based being. He’s a god set to become King of Asgard, his home planet. And that’s how our story starts. Thor is just about to be bestowed the kingship before Asgard is attacked by the Frost Giants of of Jotunheim, a enemy of Asgard that had lost a war to Thor’s father years ago.

Sounds like a far cry from Iron Man or even the Hulk right? Well, it still works. Thor shows that he isn’t worthy to the crown (I actually don’t understand why his father, Odin, thought he was worthy of it in the first place) by attacking Jotunheim and disobeying his father in doing so. So Odin banished him to Earth and throws the Mjolnir (Thor’s Hammer) there too. It’s up to Thor to learn humility and become worthy to wield the Mjolnir. During all this, Thor’s brother Loki has been plotting behind the scenes to obtain the crown of Asgard himself and looks to keep Thor on Earth forever.

The opening 30 minutes, with Thor disobeying his father and battling the Frost Giants does feel out of place with the rest of the MCU so far, but it’s still entertaining enough. The film really picks up though when Thor is sent to Earth. He meets Dr. Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis and Dr. Jane Foster and they both want to know what they just discovered.  While Lewis and Selvig dismiss him as a crazy man, Foster doesn’t give up on him and tries to learn more about him. S.H.I.E.L.D. is also out to find out more about Thor as they’ve found the Mjolnir. Everything from Thor landing on Earth to him finally reaching the Mjolnir but not being able to lift it is really good.

Unfortunately after that the film suffers a bit as it tries to tie up too many stories. After Thor fails to lift the hammer, his transition from crazy man pretending to be a god to normal good man is a bit off, and his love relationship with Jane is rushed. I wouldn’t say any of it is bad, it just isn’t as good as the hour proceeding it. There’s also the matter of Loki telling Thor that his father’s dead (a lie) and that he wants Thor banished forever (also a lie). Loki says he’s king now but can’t unbanish Thor, which really should have rang alarm bells in Thor’s head. We also learn that Loki is a child of the Frost Giants, which is a bit unnecessary as a story element but works just fine.

The film does hit another high point after that, as Thor proves he’s worthy and regains use of the Mjolnir. While the final battles are disappointing, everything works well enough that I can still say I enjoyed the film and wasn’t let down.

Most of the performances were good as I liked Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins. Refreshingly, Tom Hiddleston gives us a memorable MCU villain, and his presence in the end credits scene assures we see more of him in the future.

It’s worth noting that Asgard looks great as well.

Pros:

+Good performances from the main characters.

+Thor as a crazy man works really well.

+Story is solid.

+Loki is our first memorable MCU villain.

+S.H.I.E.L.D. tie-in works a lot better than in Iron Man 2.

Cons:

-Film drags a bit after Thor learns he isn’t worthy.

-Jane Foster-Thor relationship rather lacking.

A good film here. While nothing mind blowingly special, it works well enough to establish Thor and Loki in the MCU.

Grade: B

 

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RDT Reviews Iron Man 2

Big spoilers here…I mean the film has been out for six years now.

Unfortunately, Iron Man 2 undoes a lot of the good will the Tony Stark character developed in Iron Man 1. That’s probably my best explanation. There’s two stories going on concurrently in Iron Man 2 and they’re both quite weak with little payoffs. Story #1: After developing the Iron Man “weapon”, Tony Stark is forced to testify in Congress about possession of such weapon and whether or not it should be turned over to the American people. The big argument going for Stark is that no one else in the world is even close to developing the technology that powers the Iron Man suit. Of course, someone has (Whiplash). Instead of going toward a direction that focuses on the character who has built the tech, he’s overshadowed by Stark’s rival Justin Hammer and story #2.

Story #2 revolves around Tony Stark dealing with his mortality as the chest piece that powers the Iron Man suit is also killing him. This is the weakest story in the entire MCU, as this makes Stark regress from a maturity standpoint. He becomes reckless and endangers others. While becoming reckless to a point is fine from a character standpoint (justifying the race car part), becoming drunk in the Iron Man suit during a party is embarrassing and disappointing. After seeing what Tony Stark went through and overcame in Iron Man 1, I expect more from Stark. I don’t really care to see a mirror image of who he was before Iron Man 1, but for some reason we see it here.

Worst yet, story #2 comes to lame end as Nick Fury and the Black Widow cure (or help Stark find the cure, same idea) Stark and get him back on track as Iron Man. Overall this story arc led to several embarrassing moments and a less than stellar reason for Fury and Widow to be involved. It all feels forced, although Black Widow definitely has her moments here.

The conclusion to all of this is quite disappointing too, as Tony Stark accepts Col. Rhodes as his partner in what’s basically a throw away scene. They dispatch the drones Ivan Vanko had been working on in relative ease, then dispatch Vanko himself in a couple of minutes afterwards. It’s all a let down.

The biggest shame is that I think the actors do a great job overall with the limited material they are given. It’s probably not Robert Downey’s strongest performance, but it works. Mickey Rourke is pretty much wasted as Whiplash. Don Cheadle is an improvement over Terrence Howard as Rhodey. I really liked Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts here too and her role as someone trying to keep the spiraling Stark in check is a highlight. Sam Rockwell makes the most out of what otherwise would have just been an annoying character in Justin Hammer. Scarlett Johansson doesn’t show much emotion here, but that might have been the intent. I always get a kick out of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury though. The performances in this film save an otherwise weak film.

Pros:

+Performances from the actors are very good all around and make the most out of poorly drawn characters.

+A really good first half hour or so, it basically goes downhill once Vanko survives a car to the groin.

Cons:

-We went from believing in Tony Stark to being stupid we did so. Getting drunk in the Iron Man suit? Really?

-Whiplash is wasted.

-Avengers tie in is a bit forced.

A huge step back from Iron Man 1, but nothing Marvel couldn’t come back from.

Grade: C

 

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RDT Reviews The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Big spoilers here…it’s pretty early in the MCU and you probably know what happens anyway.

                The Incredible Hulk is an okay film that doesn’t really stand out. It’s just there. Considering the titular character and the lead actor playing him (Edward Norton),the film being nothing special has to be considered as a big disappointment.

The film is made up of three stories. First of which is about Bruce Banner and his search for a cure to the gamma ray radiation that’s plagued his body. If this film does one thing right, it’s the opening sequence which brilliantly kinda-sorta references the previous Hulk film released in 2003. That scene gives us a great visual of just why Banner feels like he has to hide and how much pain he feels in regards to hurting anyone. But after that, his entire story arc is as follows: hide, get found, run, fight, hide, get found, run, fight, suddenly possibly unable to turn into Hulk, suddenly is needed to turn into Hulk, does so and fights. In between we see him working on his breathing exercises and working on his determination to make sure his heart rate doesn’t hit 200. It’s a good story, but not exactly a compelling one and unfortunately Norton isn’t able to shine in this role.

The second story is General Thunderbolt Ross’ goal to recapture Banner. William Hurt’s performance as Ross is my favorite part of the film as he effortlessly can go from a calm, even fatherly figure to someone barking orders and commanding an army to take down the Hulk. Unfortunately, Ross’ story is quite simplistic too, as he tries to capture the Hulk, fails, attacks again, argues with daughter, then eventually is forced to align himself with the Hulk. It’s so systematic that it’s just not that compelling.

Ross plays a big part in the third story which had the highest upside but turns out to be the biggest dud. Ross helps solider Emil Blonsky gain abilities to help him battle the Hulk. While Blonsky’s character starts off strong and has a compelling battle with the Hulk during his super speed and agility phase (where the Hulk shows off perhaps his best moment: kicking Blonsky into a tree, “killing” him), his arc takes a really disappointing turn as he becomes Abomination, a big monster that leads to a monster vs. monster confrontation. Iron Man did it better with a suit vs. suit battle to be fair.

There’s also the love interest for Banner, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross. While it’s not bad at all, once again she can be described as “just there”. I was honestly more interested in her interactions with her father than Banner overall.

When a film called The Incredible Hulk fails to stand out, that means it’s failed to meet expectations. It’s the Incredible Hulk! It should probably have been the most over the top Marvel film ever. Perhaps the Hulk just isn’t the type of character to have a whole film dedicated to him.

Pros:

+General Ross is a strong character for the most part. At least in the first two acts.

+There’s nothing really bad about the film, but…

Cons:

-Nothing particularly good either.

-Abomination is a disappointing route to go for Emil Blonsky.

A decent film with no real stand out moments. Well, except when Tony Stark shows up at the end.

Grade C+

 

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RDT Reviews Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Big spoilers here…I mean you probably aren’t going to see it if you haven’t already…

Somewhere inside Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a great film. While apparently a four hour cut, the two and a half remaining hours still feels rather challenging to get through. It’s a shame that this is the case as when this film hits its peaks, it hits them amazingly. Some of the scenes in this film are A+ material no doubt. But unfortunately there are a lot of F scenes in there too. I want to get to the performances before the actual plot as there’s a lot to digest here.

I’m pretty sure Snyder wanted to make just a Batman film. Most of the Batman/Bruce Wayne stuff is tremendous. I rolled my eyes that again we were going to have to see Bruce Wayne’s parents murdered, but the scene is done so well that despite seeing some version of it probably ten times by now it still stood out. After that Ben Affleck absolutely owns the role, giving us the perfect Bruce Wayne and a sinister, blood thirsty Batman. Affleck’s great at changing gears here. He effortlessly switches from the super serious detective one moment to suddenly joking around that he “had one martini too many”. Affleck is the best live action Batman and the best live action Bruce Wayne. As a result I have high hopes for the stand alone Batman film coming out in the future. I should also point out that the Batman fight scene that felt like it was lifted straight from the Arkham Series of games is the best cinematic Batman sequence ever.

Wonder Woman also delivers. There was tons of skepticism regarding Gal Gadot but she nailed the role. She steals almost every scene she’s in and when she finally gets into the battle she’s awesome. She also has good chemistry with Affleck’s Bruce Wayne (so much that again, this was probably a lot better off as a Batman film featuring Wonder Woman) and I am excited to see how the Wonder Woman film plays out. But Gadot is a huge positive here.

Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is interesting. I dreaded seeing Eisenberg in the trailer as he felt like a Batman Forever Riddler and at times his character does feel that way. Other times it feels like a homeless man’s Heath Ledger Joker, which also doesn’t work. But there are scenes where his character was thought provoking and creepy which is a nice new direction to take Lex Luthor in. Luthor would have been lost in the background had he been a serious character like everyone else. Instead a chance was taken. Sometimes it worked well (like when he’s in his home speaking with Senator Finch), sometimes it didn’t (like his rooftop scenes with Lois Lane and Superman) and sometimes it was downright awful (his speech or the end). I do think he did a better job than he’s been given credit for.

Now let’s get to one of the big problems here. Lois Lane and Superman are awful in this film. And unfortunately they’re both in it a lot. In Amy Adams’ case I don’t feel like it’s really her fault. The Lois Lane story arc here just doesn’t work. While I get where they were going with whole desert framing Superman deal it really wasn’t well done and I couldn’t have cared less about Lois’ adventure trying to prove Superman’s innocence. There’s also some cringe worthy moments from Lane as well. “I’m not a woman I’m a reporter” was a pretty awful line despite the empowering effect it was supposed to have. Superman is practically lifeless here and has exactly one good moment, which is when he takes Doomsday into space. Everything else is rage that I don’t completely buy, him shaking his head despite atrocities, or Clark Kent complaining about the Bat Vigilante. While perhaps I felt bad about his death, it feels like such a wasted moment. Superman’s death is supposed to be something that every hero in the history of DC was supposed to mourn. Here, it’s a rushed moment that only Batman and Wonder Woman experience. Adding to that, Wonder Woman and Superman don’t even have an interaction together, so while I’m sure she was upset at his death it’s not as if there’s a heavy emotional feeling to have here. What a mess.

Speaking of Superman’s death, Doomsday was horrible. Whoever had the idea that the DNA of Lex Luthor and General Zod should create Doomsday needs to stay away from all comic books films forever (assuming it was Snyder). While admittedly it was always going to be difficult to match the greatness of Batman’s rogues gallery, horrific portrayals of Superman’s isn’t going to help. The effect was laughable. At least there were two good moments here: Superman taking Doomsday to space and Wonder Woman showing up. Still, what a waste.

There’s some small other plusses here: Jeremy Irons as Alfred is great, Senator Finch is good and some of the Superman imagery is cool (like when he saves the girl during the Night of the Dead celebration). But going on with the ongoing theme of there being a lot of positives and negatives, Mercy Graves (and probably Jimmy Olsen) is absolutely wasted here. Why would Lex want her dead anyway?! I didn’t even get into Batman’s dream sequences. There’s just too much going on here.

Be prepared for a lengthy pro-con list.

Pros:

+Ben Affleck is great as Wayne/Batman.

+Batman vs. Superman fight is pretty good.

+Pretty much all things Batman here are incredible. The Arkham inspired fight scene is my favorite live action Batman scene ever.

+Gal Gadot steals every scene she’s in.

+Justice League cameos are cool.

+Jeremy Irons is a great choice for Alfred.

+Good references to comic book stuff, especially The Dark Knight Returns.

+The themes are pretty solid, just not explored enough.

Cons:

-Plot is all over the place. Even once you understand it, it doesn’t always make sense.

-While I liked Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor in some moments, this is still overall a negative because the bad is awful.

-Mercy Graves is completely wasted here.

-As everyone’s said so far, the film just isn’t fun.

-Some awful references to comic book stuff, like the Death of Superman.

-All things Lois Lane.

-Almost all things Superman and his motivations here don’t work.

-Doomsday.

-Doomsday again.

I’m going to give this a better grade than most have. The reason being that the Batman stuff is awesome. Not just good, but awesome. I can get through some of this bad Superman stuff as long as I get my Batman (and Wonder Woman) action. It’s enough for me. Still, if you told me Batman v Superman would have to settle for a grade and not be an automatic A, I would consider that a disappointment.

Grade: B