Fresh Take: Werewolf By Night Special

 Available on Disney Plus

Synopsis (from IMDB):  On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader.  In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader's life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic--a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.

Thoughts

Back in the day, there used to be TV specials around the holidays. Most of the time they were cartoons like Garfield's Halloween Adventure or Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas, every now and then there was a live-action presentation as well. This special reminds me a lot of those times. Werewolf By Night is based on a comic book series from Marvel and usually lends to the supernatural side of the Marvel universe. Typically he is associated with Elsa Bloodstone, Blade, Dr. Strange, and those types of characters. The special itself is very interesting, if you have seen movies like Hard Target or The Game, then you have an idea of what a chunk of the special is doing. The visual aesthetic is perfect as they go for a 50's film style of "horror". Look I'm just going, to be honest, here there ain't one single, solitary thing that is scary about this special. I have no idea why it's labeled as "horror" as it leans more toward the suspense or thriller genre of film. That 50's era vibe is what makes this a unique presentation. For a majority of the special, it is in black and white with only the actual bloodstone being in color. This helps because when the violence ratchets up and it does ratchet up, you won't see blood or gore but the whole 'chocolate syrup' effect. There is a lot to like here and honestly, there wasn't anything that I didn't like. The actors all did a great job. The action was satisfying and brutal when it needed to be. There is comedy in here but the jokes aren't overplayed or drawn out. 

For Parents

This special runs under an hour with a runtime of 54 minutes. It's paced very well. If you are a fan of those 50's style films I think you will enjoy this one as well. This is rated TV-14 and while it is not scary there is a lot of violence in it and it can get pretty brutal with some of the deaths. That being said it isn't overly gory, there is one scene where a character gets his hand cut off but you can clearly tell that it's rubber another homage to that style of film. 

Overall

I think this is definitely worth an add to the queue. Personally, I would like to see more one-shot presentations with obscure characters. I think that this is a perfect way to introduce them without having to worry about doing a full TV series or movie where there isn't enough time for viewers to get to know them. Have you seen Werewolf By Night? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for reading if you like the content please share and let your friends and family know. Check out the Fresh Take video below and leave a comment and a like there as well.

Fresh Take

Image via Wallpaper Access

Fresh Take: Black Adam (Spoiler-Free)

 In Theatres

Synopsis (from IMDB): Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods and imprisoned just as quickly-Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. 

Thoughts

Just going to go ahead and say this, The Rock will always and forever be the People's CHAMP. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I was a little worried because I heard a lot of mixed things about this particular movie. Personally, it wasn't as bad as reviewers had made it out to be. It does have its fair share of issues but nothing that prevents it from being a fun movie. The movie is effects-heavy and I thought the team did an excellent job. Especially, with Hawkman, the armor and the wings looked great as did Dr. Fate's costume and magic. The cast is great in my opinion, especially Pierce Brosnan's Dr. Fate. He stands out mostly because of his screen presence. Aldis Hodge as Hawkman is great and the rivalry he and Black Adam have is one of the highlights of the film to me. The story is hella cliche but the character interactions and banter are what works in my opinion. Yes, there are certain things that happen in this movie that if you have watched any other movie in the DCEU you should know is going to happen. That being said I think some of the more cheesy/cliche scenes work because it is Aldis and Pierce or the Rock and Aldis in the scene together.

Outside of the noticeable cliches, this movie has there are a few other things I noticed. First, there were more than a few scenes where it felt like there was something that was supposed to go before it. It made the movie, at times, feel a little disjointed whereas it is noticeable that something should have happened before it. Secondly, there are points where the movie does feel like it slows down. Also, unless you are a comic book fan you're not going to know who some of these characters are and the movie doesn't go into detail about the Justice Society. I know most of these characters but I'm going to have to look up Cyclone because I have no idea who that is and while they do try to spend a little time with the JSA (Justice Society of America) characters it's not enough to help get an understanding as to who they are. I think they would have been better off trying to use a couple of members from the Justice League since they mention them in the movie, but I do understand why they chose to go the route that they did. 

For Parents

This movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes. For the most part, it flows pretty well except for those times when it slows down. There is a good mix of action and comedy in it and while the story gets predictable at times I think it is entertaining. There is a lot of action but it's nothing that you won't see in any other superhero movie. Just so you know there is a mid-credits scene that may be showing things to come and I know a lot of fans hope comes true.

Overall

If I were rating this movie I would give it a MATINEE. It's a fun movie that's perfect for an afternoon. The cast is great. The effects are well done and the action is good too. Have you seen Black Adam? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out the Fresh Take podcast on Sundays at 10 am.

Trailer

Images via IMDB

Trailer via YouTube

Fresh Take: Rings of Power Ep 8 (Spoiler-Free Thoughts)

 Available on Amazon Prime

Thoughts

It's the Season Finale and I am going to admit I did not see that twist coming. The season has been a bit of an up-and-down affair. There are a lot of plot threads and characters, some character pairings are way better than others, and with all of those moving parts, it can be hard to maintain a sense of balance. I thought that for the most part the season was handled well. The finale did an excellent job in my opinion, of wrapping up specific threads while giving the viewer something to look forward to next season. The effects have been amazing all season and that continued to be the case in the finale. There was one big action sequence that I thought was done very well. There were some more callbacks to Fellowship of the Ring in this episode, this time with full lines from that film being used which I thought worked well with the scenes they were used in. I know Peter Jackson wasn't involved with this series but some of the shots in the episode feel like they were going for his style and aesthetic. I thought the characters that were in the episode were all given a chance to shine. Even Galadriel, who I feel they have written badly the whole season, was better written in this episode. While a number of people didn't show up in this episode the characters that were here made for a tighter story in my opinion. Overall I really enjoyed this finale and am looking forward to next season and where this series can go. Did you watch the season finale of Rings of Power? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Don't forget to catch the Fresh Take podcast on Sunday mornings at 10 am EST on YouTube and Twitch, that is where we give our thoughts on trailers, TV shows, and movies. Thanks for reading see you in the comments section on Fresh Take.

Trailer

Image via Wallpaper Access

Fresh Take: She- Hulk Ep 9 - Whose Show Is This Spoiler-Free Thoughts

 Available on Disney Plus

Thoughts

I'm just going to keep it real with you. This finale went off the rails, that's the best way I can describe it without spoiling it. I feel like people are either going to like it or hate it. There won't be an in-between with this episode. I have had a worry that there wasn't an overarching story to this series and this episode kinda proved it while trying to be self-aware and 'stick it' to the online trolls. At least that's the feeling I got from it. I don't mind the breaking of the fourth wall but in this episode, I think they went way overboard to the point where I saw what they were trying to do it just didn't work for me. The beginning of the episode I thought was pretty good. It followed on from last week and I think one of the reasons that they took the path they did in the middle of the episode was because there was nothing really set up story-wise. This made the episode feel disjointed and all over the place. The reason why WandaVision worked was that it had an overarching story in addition to the episodic format. This just had the episodic format and my guess is what they had on paper worked but the execution didn't. 

Now don't get me wrong I actually have enjoyed the season overall it was just this episode didn't work for me. The ending was okay and the post-credit scene was interesting. I have no idea what they are trying to set up with it but I guess we'll find out soon. Bruce does return in this episode but nothing was done to set up his show except for the reveal that happens at the end. This was just really confusing to me as to why this route was taken but hey, I got to see one of my favorite actresses and the majority of the characters were awesome and they even did a good job with the D-list Marvel villains they had in the show. It wasn't all bad, in my humble opinion. So, what did you think of the season finale to She-HULK? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Check out Fresh Take Sunday at 10 am EST to hear myself and Fangirl Review's spoiler-filled thoughts. 

Image via Wallpaper Access

Fresh Take: Rings of Power Ep 7 Spoiler-Free Thoughts

 Available on Amazon Prime

Thoughts

We have one more episode to go this season, so how was episode 7 of Rings of Power. The episode picks up right where episode 6 left off with the fallout from the creation of Mordor. Galadriel finally realizes she may have been the cause of the tragedy with her relentless pursuit of Sauron. There was a nice bit of character work in my opinion in this episode, I just wish it would have happened earlier in the season. This week focuses on the Harfoots, the Southlanders, and Durin's family. The best-written plot continues to be that of Durin and Elrond's friendship in the face of both of their kings keeping information from them or flat-out lying. I still believe the Elven King is lying to Elrond but that's just me. The high point of the episode to me was Durin and his father's clash of ideals. I saw both sides of the argument but this is one of those conversations where if you're upfront about things it would end up better for everyone. One thing this episode does extremely well in my opinion is the homages, callbacks, and easter eggs to Fellowship of the Ring. There was one scene that was straight-up lifted from Fellowship but I didn't mind it as, in the context of the story, it made complete sense. They did a good job setting up the tension in this episode, especially with so many characters missing. To be fair a few of those characters aren't dead because they have to show up when the eventual showdown with Sauron happens. It's going to be interesting to see what happens next week in the season finale. 

So far the series has been consistent for me, even as a book fan I still like what they have done with this series, for the most part. It's been confirmed that season 2 is filming so I hope next week's episode sets up some good plot threads going forward. Have you seen this week's episode? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Don't forget to catch Fresh Take Sundays at 10am EST for our spoiler-filled review/discussion.

Image via Wallpaper Access

Fresh Take: She-Hulk Ep 8 - Ribbit and Rip It Spoiler-Free Thoughts

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

Daredevil is finally here. This episode is probably going to be my favorite of the season. Charlie Cox is great as Matt Murdock and I really enjoyed the chemistry between Matt and Jennifer. It felt natural and not forced. The way he was introduced worked as well. They didn't hide the fact that he's been Daredevil for years. That was one of the things that I liked about the episode. This episode d-list Marvel character is a character named Leap Frog, I know absolutely nothing about this character. The interactions with him were pretty good. As I have said before one of the strengths of this series is the cameos are done so well and they work for the episode. This episode is short but a lot does happen in it and it moves at a good pace. The only thing I am worried about is next week's finale as we still don't know who the antagonist will be, and I feel it'll be very cliched when that individual appears. Other than that I thought the episode was good and it's nice to get an idea of how the MCU Daredevil will be when Born Again arrives in 2024. Did you see this week's episode? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Don't forget to catch Fresh Take Sundays at 10 am for the spoiler-filled discussion.

Image via WallpaperAccess

Fresh Take: Rings of Power Ep 6 Spoiler-Free Thoughts

 Available on Amazon Prime Video

Thoughts

This week's episode picks up from last week as the people of the Southlands are bracing for an attack from the orcs. This episode was high on the suspense as there were a couple of times I thought a few prominent characters were going to bite the dust. This episode is almost exclusively focused on the human struggle. I noted a couple of weeks ago that when the full map was revealed that it looked like the Southlands was the area that became Mordor and this week, in my opinion, pretty much all but confirmed it. I liked the action sequences in this episode, especially the fact that the fighting looked more brutal than it has been in previous episodes. One thing that I will give the show is that the writing is very consistent and I am thankful for that, there are a lot of plot threads and they are doing a great job of balancing it out. There were no Elrond and Durin hijinks this week so that was a little bit of a letdown for me but the episode, on the whole, was well done and advanced the story as I think we will see the creation of Gondor out of this. What did you think about this week's episode? There are two episodes left in the season. What surprises do you think we'll see? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Also, don't forget to check out the YouTube channel for the Fresh Take Podcast where our spoiler-filled reviews are located.

Image via Wallpaper Access

Fresh Take: She-Hulk Ep 7 - The Retreat (Spoiler-Free Thoughts)

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

I know this is a comedic show but this episode was just funny to me. They've been making me feel kinda bad for Jen because she is bad at choosing men. I mean she sucks at it, seriously and this episode started pretty bad but by the middle, I liked it. The best part of this episode was Jen getting therapy with Emil Blonsky. To be fair I think this is exactly what Jen needed and the addition of Marvel D-list characters worked so well in this episode. I think the strength of this show really is the cameos that they have each week. Tim Roth is clearly enjoying himself and by the end of the episode, it turns into a heartwarming style story. The plot was furthered this week as well with someone getting Jen's blood. We still don't know who or why they want it but at least that plot thread is moving forward. The bad news is there are only two episodes left in this season. We have all seen the trailer with Daredevil in it so I'm guessing he's going to be the cameo for the last two episodes. Looking forward to that, I think the show has been getting better with each episode. The jokes aren't being dragged out and the episodes being short does help. Have you seen this week's episode? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Don't forget to catch Fresh Take Sunday at 10 am for the spoiler-filled review.

Image via Wallpaper Access