Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - Box Office Review

Based on a true story, "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (or WTF for short) takes us on a reporters journey documenting the war in Afghanistan in the early 2000's. The film shows the relationship foreign journalists share while covering a volatile country in the midst of conflict with American military forces. We are also treated to some cultural and political normalcies to the region that might seem, literally, foreign to anyone not from the area. This film stars Tina Fey and one might assume it's a comedy, like I did, but it is not. This is a dramatic and at times intense look at the day to day life of individuals in Kabul during the Afghan War. 

This movie has a star studded cast. I didn't realize going into the theater how many talented actors were going to be on screen. Alfred Molina, Martin Freeman, Margot Robbie and Billy Bob Thornton are the main characters who share screen time with Tina to make this a dramatic and occasionally humorous film. Each actor played their part well and was unique in their on screen personality which helped shape the overall feel of "WTF" in a way that I haven't quite seen, yet, this year. To be fair, I haven't really watched a documentary style film this year until this one. This set the bar reasonably high for all other movies similar to "WTF" being released this year.

The fact this movie is based on a true story helps elevate the intensity that might otherwise seem flat or cliche'. The moments where we see the spirit and fight of Tina's character were small treasures in this film. Each moment usually had Billy Bob's character with a snarky remark that was humorous which helped relieve some of the tension. The back forth dialogue between those two was fun. Also, seeing Freeman as a heavy drinking, womanizing Scotsman was humorous. Finally, while Margot Robbie is a talented actress she is also insanely attractive which was part of her character in this movie. So, it worked.

"Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is in theaters now! If you enjoy the dramatic, documentary style film that has humor peppered throughout I recommend you support this film by seeing it in theaters. It's a decent film that has talented actors who help bring this story to life. There's perspectives in this film you might not get from other movies this year and for that reason I also recommend you see this movie in theaters. However, if you catch it on Redbox that's ok too. This isn't a special effects heavy film that demands big screen viewings. The characters are all acted well and the story is based on real life events, while still being entertaining.  Plus, we get to see a Tina Fey that I don't believe we have seen on camera before and that's a good thing. 

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Comic Book Review: Terra Kaiju - Rampaging Monster Comics

Story and Art by Joe Badon

A giant protector reflects on how he came to be and faces tough choice.

Joe Badon put together a pretty cool monster book with Terra Kaiju.  The story takes place during a battle with an enormous dragon but contains many flashbacks throughout to explain how this battle came to be and where our terracotta giant came from.  I saw the style of book and I was wondering if it was going to read backwards like many anime books.  It read as most American books however and the book is in the thick of the action and keeps going from there.  The end ties off well with a lesson learned.

I really like Joe Badon's art style.  It flows well and fits the story being told.  I received a few books where he lends his artistic talent from the Indy Stash subscription box(a review of the box can be viewed here).  This book has a $4.99 price tag on it, which I know I normally would have something negative to say, but I know there can be costs involved for the creators when it comes to the independent type of publishing.  With that said, support art!

What comic books are you reading?  What other books would you like Maskerpiece Theatre to review?  Please respond in the comment section below.

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Comic Book Review: Hellboy Winter Special - Dark Horse Comics (2016)

The Hellboy Winter Special is a collection of four stories collected inside of one comic book.

"Broken Vessels"
Story by Mike Mignola & Scott Allie
Art by Tim Sale
A creepy story about a drifter telling the tale of shamans to man who was much happier keeping to himself near his campfire.

"Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: 1953 - Wandering Souls"
Story by Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson
Art by Michael Walsh
A harshly cold November day in Wyoming isn't enough to keep restless spirits from letting their presence known.  Hellboy and Susan Xiang investigate to put an end to the unexplained phenomena.

"Mood Swings"
Story by Chelsea Cain
Art by Michael Avon Oeming
Liz isn't having the merriest of Christmases as an adolescent in 1975 and Hellboy thinks he has a way of cheering her up.  What neither of them knows is the destination Hellboy has chosen doesn't leave the two of them alone with harmless snowmen.

"Kung Pao Lobster"
Story and art by Dean Rankine
Ordering Chinese food becomes very frustrating in this two page comedic story.

I was quite pleased reading this comic book from Dark Horse Comics.  I received it in the Comic Block subscription box(review of subscription box here).  It came with an exclusive Comic Block cover and it was a very fun read.  I'm a fan of Hellboy and getting a few short stories including Red is always a good thing.  It's difficult to pick a favorite of the four stories as they were all good in their own way.

What are your thoughts on Hellboy?  What other comic books would you like Maskerpiece Theatre to review?  Please leave your comments below.

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Binge Watcher Review: Fuller House Season 1

Binge Watcher Review: Fuller House Season 1

Starring: Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, Michael Campion, Elias Harger, Soni Bringas, John Brotherton, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Scott Weinger and Dashiell and Fox Messitt

Synopsis: DJ Tanner is a widow with her two boys and a newborn boy. Her sister Stephanie offers to move in and help her raise her sons. Kimmy, her best friend, moves in also with her teenage daughter Romona. The house is now a lot fuller.

The Good: For all of us 90’s lovin’ peeps, this show sure is a blast from the past. The first episode kicks off and makes the flow of the show very obvious, though at some points it does feel like they are making fun of themselves just a little to much. The season itself is very easy to get through with the help of each episodes only being 30 minutes long, which makes it feel like it goes by way faster than you would expect. The show clearly targets the specific demographic that watched the original show, Full House, way back when. Thankfully there are some more adult themes throughout the season as the focus is more on DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy and not on the kids this go around. Basically, you will be all smiles for the cameos from some of the original characters, some of whom you never would have expected, an example being husband Harry. (I loved that episode, Stephanie and Harry getting married was totes adorbs)  Also for all the men that may end up watching this, Stephanie’s knockers are hard to miss in this show… she is not a little girl any more.

The Bad: Sadly, once you get past all of the nostalgic excitement, the show it self feels like it is lacking a little bit. The episodes flow well, but overall feel like they are missing those life lessons you seem to get from the original show Full House. Some of those family values do still come through though and the antics that are pulled during a few episodes help with making the show enjoyable to watch. For the most part though, once you satisfy your 90’s craving after a couple of episodes you probably wont need to watch the whole season, even though the last episode was the best episode of the season.

Final Thoughts: I honestly believe it will be a select audience that genuinely enjoys this show as a whole, and most of that audience will probably be women. The show has its cute moments, but overall really feels like it's targeting middle-aged women with kids.  Everything is pretty relatable to Full House, Dj is clearly Danny, Stephanie is clearly Uncle Jesse and Kimmy is Joey, the backwards part is Kimmy is the one with a guy chasing her rather than Stephanie.  13 Episodes was perfect for this show on Netflix though, just enough to give you what you wanted and not drag the season out longer than necessary. The show won me over enough that I am looking forward to see what season 2 brings now that it has been announced, specially with everyone reforming a better chemistry as the show went on.

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Comic Book Review: Superman: The Coming of the Supermen - DC Comics (2016)

Writer/Artist - Neal Adams

Three "Supermen" have arrived on Earth and do their part to fight off an invasion from a horde of bad guys from Apokolips led by Kalibak.  Superman is in the Middle East and meets some interesting individuals that impact his life more than he originally thought they would.

The legendary Neal Adams lends his writing and artistic talent to this six issue mini series.  The first issue is a nice introduction into what is in store for Superman.  Adams brings out the big guns from the get go with the first issue having Kalibak invade Metropolis.  Superman will have his hands full, especially with other Supermen out there and not knowing where they stand.

Neal Adams has long been a socially conscious person and I expect that this book will have hints of his thoughts on the world.  The protection of innocent people in the Middle East should be evidence of this and the interaction he has with one boy in particular should make for some interesting story telling.

The art is amazing.  Neal Adams has a style that evokes emotion in every facial expression.  There is no mistaking how the character feels when you look at their faces.  Words would not even be necessary.  It is an absolute joy to read a Neal Adams book, not only for the great writing but the art is top notch.

What are your thoughts on the latest Superman mini series?  What other books would you like Maskerpiece Theatre to read and review?  Please respond in the comment section below or reach out to us on some sort of social media platform.

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Act 145: Ten Seconds in Heaven

Matthew, the owner of The Grid: Games and Growlers, joins the Maskerpiece Theatre crew to chat about comic book movies, video games, comic books and more.

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Legends of Tomorrow Review: Season 1 Episode 7 "Marooned"

Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 7

“Marooned”

Synopsis:

After receiving a distress call from another timeship stranded in space, Rim decide’s to answer the call in order to use the other ship’s computer to track Savage, the team is suspicious and warn’s him this could be a trap but he move’s forward with his plan. Ultimately, the team was right and they have to battle time pirate’s, with most of the team capture it is up to Professor Stein to rescue them all.

Review:

With the trail to Vandal Savage going cold, Rip and the team need to find another way to locate Savage’s position. When a distress signal from another Timeship is retrieved by the team, Rip decides to answer the call for help. Once there they learn the ship had been taken over by Time Pirates and now are captives. With the pirate chasing the other half of the team its up to Stein to save everyone else. 

Rory decides to cease the opportunity to return to 2016 by making a deal with the pirates for the ship. Because of his betrayal Snart makes the decision to drop him off, only to be left with and end scene of him hitting Rory with his cold gun.

Final Thoughts: 

Loved the episode, with that being said I am still not fully behind Rip. It seems to be my only complaint of the series, as he is just not “Hero” like at all. I fully understand the emotional stress that he would be under, but being a Comic book show I feel he should be a little different. 

I have to say I loved Stein and his joy of being able to fulfill the dream of being a space ranger, also all the Star Trek and Star Wars references from Ray were priceless.

Then we had the stand off between Rory and Snart. The Bad guy who just wants to be bad vs the Bad guy who is finally living up to the Flash’s predictions of him. This was bound to happen, and the show creators really know how to fully commit Snart to being the hero we all deserve. Those moments with sara freezing to death really cemented this fact. 

But the way the episode ended, I really can’t believe that they killed off Rory. I guess we will have to wait to see what happens but it does look like they are moving that direction.

I give this episode Two Thumbs Up, Let us know what you thought of the episode and leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: Justice League #48 - DC Comics (2016)

The Darkseid War: Part 8
Act 3: Gods of Justice
Chapter 2: Crime Pays

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jason Fabok

The Justice League are working with the Crime Syndicate to stop the Anti-Monitor.

The Darkseid War has so many moving parts, it's hard to figure out where to start this review.  DC Comics is doing such a great job with this book.  I've been a fan of Justice League from the first issue and here, at issue forty-eight I am just as excited.  Geoff Johns is exceptional at crafting these long intricate stories that intermingle a multitude of characters who, while maybe not sharing the panel, impact each other with each action.  The Anti-Monitor seems to be an unstoppable force and I look forward to seeing how this war continues to take shape.

Jason Fabok is such an incredible artist.  He does such an extraordinary job with all of these characters he is needing to draw.  Justice League has got to be one of those "dream projects" as you get to draw anyone and everyone on any given panel.

I recognize that Justice League is fully entrenched in the Darkseid War but just pick these books up and start reading.  There is a lot going on but the dialogue is good and the art is remarkable.

What are your thoughts on Justice League?  What other comic books would you like Maskerpice Theatre to read and review?  Please respond in the comment section below.

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Comic Book Review: The Goddamned #3 - Image Comics (2016)

"Before the Flood" - Issue 3

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by rm Guera

Cain continues on the quest to help a woman find her son who has been captured by Noah's murderous caravan.  We are also given flashbacks to Cain's childhood when the Earth, while no longer considered Paradise, was much more beautiful than it is presently within the book.

Cain shows he has a heart but still a distaste for God.  Like the previous two books, there is plenty of violence and harsh language.  This is a brutal book and I look forward to reading every bit of it.  Jason Aaron is wonderful when it comes to story telling and has a fantastic way of keeping you enthralled and anticipating the next issue.

rm Guera's artwork is tailored to this bloody brutality.  The story and art go remarkably well together.  I highly recommend picking up these issues from your local comic shop before everyone else finds out how good they are.

What are your thoughts on The Goddamned?  What other comic books would you like Maskerpiece Theatre to read and review?  Please leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: The Flash #49 - DC Comics (2016)

"New Blood"

Written by Robert Venditti & Van Jensen
Art by Philippe Briones

The Rogues are on the police task force to bring in the Flash.  Forensic specialist Barry Allen is also on the task force and must analyze the blood of the Flash.  The Trickster, a newcomer to the Rogues, appears to have more going on than just helping his fellow teammates.  Wally West is in school but he is dealing with some physical changes that he can't quite explain.

The Flash being hunted by the police has become a better story line than I had originally imagined.  Seeing Barry wrestle with right and wrong and how he should handle being on a task force to hunt himself is fantastic story telling by Robert Venditti and  Van Jensen.

Philippe Briones is in charge of the art for this issue and does well.  I don't know if he is the long term artist as last month was someone else and this is all after the super group of Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse have moved on to other projects.

The Flash is definitely one of the comic books I look forward to each month.  The writers are crafting such excellent stories and it's a lot of fun with each issue.  I'm sure there has to be something big planned for the next issue as that is number fifty!

What are your thoughts on the Flash?  What comic books do you want Maskerpiece Theatre to review?  Please respond in the comments below.

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