#bloodsport 5 review

[asukaskerian]

monthly word count - july

TOTAL: 2 271 POSTED: -Howling Outside Your Door : Grimmichi pack fuckening : Epilogue (695 words) IN PROGRESS -Grimmichi pack fuckening : ficlet that was gonna be the epilogue before i wised up that it was a whole different thing (239 words) -Madara/Tobirama/Izuna ABO cherry wine : chapter idk? (1 230 words) (might be complete?? but to be reviewed a LOT so no date yet) -grimmichi bloodsport (5... words...) -bleach suburban ot4 (104 words) inspiration has been dead in the water for three weeks out of the whole month, only to wake up on the last weekend and get me to write at work. i dunno, man. no teasers this month because honestly there isn't gonna be enough new material left otherwise. :p

[elliepassmore]

Immortal Longings review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: The Hunger Games, enemies to lovers, murder games, unhinged FMCs, morally gray characters I was a little nervous coming into this one since it's completely separate from the Secret Shanghai world, but I needn't have been, I absolutely love this book. It's got the action, the morally questionable characters, the enemies to lovers, the tragedy. All of it. I was not bored once while reading this. The book actually reminds me a bit of a Hunger Games / Dualed mashup where the characters are chasing down and murdering other people in a sci-fi/dystopian city but it's a government sanctioned bloodsport. The idea of San-Er really drew me in. I love the idea of dual cities and how they become connected over time. I also love how it hearkens to cities from the ancient and medieval worlds. San-Er is created along similar lines, with the two cities springing up on either side of a river and building walls around themselves as the monarchs decide to rule together but still separate. The city itself is a blend of the historic and the future, and I really enjoy how the 'future' has very 90s vibes with pages and internet cafes. Despite the seeming disparateness of the ancient past and the future/90s, the elements work together to create a unique city. I really like how much of San-Er we get to see in the book and how varied the different districts can be. Jumping between bodies was also an interesting idea to me. Everyone has qi but only some (most?) people have the gene to jump bodies, taking their qi with them and leaving their 'birth body' behind. the only way to tell if someone jumps bodies is by their eye color, which also carries over when they jump. There are also empty vessels, which are simply bodies without qi and thus lack consciousness, and can magically repair from wounds. But jumpers can also jump into other people and are either pushed out if that person is too strong or take over the body for whatever period of time they please. If a jumper takes over another body permanently, the original consciousness eventually fades (dies). It's definitely an intriguing setup, particularly when you take into account that people readily jump bodies for one reason or another and a lot of people just see physical bodies as accessories. Technically jumping is against the law, but most everyone seems to do it anyway and it's a commonplace thing. On the one hand, it's painted as being very normal in this world and just something that people expect at some point or another. There are a handful of people immune to it, people who are doubled/already have two qis (i.e., already being occupied) and the Weisannas, but unless your qi is powerful enough to repel other jumpers, everyone is open to being jumped into. Thus, as various characters say in the book, bodies are just things to use for a while until you move on to the next one. Under that morality, it's perfectly fine and normal to use the bodies however you want, be it in the games or to have sex or to just have a pretty face. But there were definitely some moments in the book that gave me pause. I did wonder about the people killed in the games, either alongside a player who had jumped into them or after a player jumped before the body and other qi died. I also had a moment when Calla and Anton have sex because...that's not Anton's body. There are definitely questions of consent re: body jumping, but I feel like they won't be addressed because it's just so normalized in this world. Regardless, it's still an interesting part of the book. The games are set up as a way to win riches beyond most people's imaginings and serve as a risky last ditch effort to claw out of poverty. The games aren't limited to an arena though and players are given run of the city, making it more dangerous for both them and for San-Er's residents. It provided an interesting setup, especially since it is televised as a game, so people watch from their TV screens but they'll also crowd around a fight to try and see live who will win. Since there are 88 participants and the fighting is so spread out over the city we don't get to meet most of them, and the ones we do meet are almost inevitably in a fight where they eventually die. The interesting thing about the characters is that they all want to transform Talin (maybe not Anton, not at first), they just have different ideas about how to do it. They form an interesting hall of mirrors, all with the same goal but different methods and beliefs about how it can best be done. Calla, the murderous princess, is the main character. Sure there are other POVs, but she's the one the story centers on. After massacring the rest of the royal family and some of their guards, Calla was forced into hiding before she could finish the job by killing off the other royal family. She's in the games now to win so she can get close enough to finish the job. While she did commit the massacre, she did it because she wanted to bring the regime down and transform Talin. I liked that plan, but I wasn't so much a fan of how she decided to trust August and let him be king. Even without being told, just reading his POV showed he was skeevy. Other than her plans, Calla is someone who's done her best to wall herself off from everyone else and her own emotions. She feels some guilt about killing during the games, but not enough to try and find a way to get around it. Calla was trained to be a killer and she's good at it. At the same time, she seems to feel this great burden about Talin and the people in it who are suffering. She wants the regime to change, even if it has to be done forcefully, but she's not much of a strategist in how she plans to get it done. It is kind of a nice change of pace to see a character who's just vicious without also being manipulative. I do like Calla as a character and how thoroughly messy she is. I look forward to seeing her (and hopefully Mao Mao) in book 2. Anton is a disgraced aristocrat who's entering the games for the money so he can pay off his medical debt and get his sick childhood lover proper care. He readily jumps from body to body as needed to get things done and does seem to have some strategic capabilities since he picks his bodies for specific reasons. Like Calla, Anton is vicious, but he also is more trusting of others and more willing to open himself up. I like Anton's character as well and seeing both the desperation and obsession at different points. I'm very very curious to see how things play out with him. August is the crown prince and is probably equally as obsessive as Calla and Anton, just about different things. He's the adopted son of the king and feels that lack of nobility in his bones and is, frankly, desperate to claw his way all the way to the top. August starts out seeming like a playful noble son, the brat Calla calls him, but as the book progresses it becomes clear that August is both strategic and manipulative. Calla believes he'll change Talin, Anton believes August will tear into it with both fists. I'm inclined to agree with Anton. August steps on people to get what he wants and is both manipulative enough and vicious enough to do terrible things to make it happen. I do love characters like that, but since he's kind of working against Calla's own interests, I'm not so much a fan, lol. As with the others, I'm intrigued to see how things play out with him in the next book. Overall, this is a very action packed book with sci-fi, historical, and 90s-noir vibes. I really enjoyed it and was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I like how Gong plays with the motivations and plans of each of the characters and how they reflect different sides of the same goal (mostly). The ending also left a lot open for the next book, so I'm interested to see how everything plays out. Also, it's a trilogy now?! The wait is going to kill me.

[arcanehackist]

Absolutely not, and it is racist of you to imply that that is so.

I have 2 and 1/2 years of professional experience dog training and dog grooming, and 2 years of experience doing both freelance.

There are absolutely bad dogs that are that way genetically. Are people like that? No, but some seem to think that all people that don’t like pitbulls think that. That’s not the case. And in my experience advocating for animal rights and against dogfighting, the reasons people don’t like pitbulls are very easy to understand.

•Someone or one of their family members has had a bad experience with owning a pitbull

•Someone has been injured by a pitbull or a family member has been injured/killed by a pitbull

•Someone has lost a pet/livestock or knows someone who has lost a pet/livestock to a pitbull

•Someone understands that they are a bloodsport breed and believes they shouldn’t be owned in a civilized society

It boils down to this: Only “bully breed” dogs will go after a horse and keep going after being kicked by it. That is the difference.

Pit bulls don’t have the strongest bite force, no, but they have the stubbornness of a bulldog to hang on and the instinct of a terrier to shake and cause maximum damage. These dogs have been bred over centuries for this. The aggression has not been bred out of them, like it has been with something like the boston terrier.

I am not saying they cannot be sweet. They can be. But when you adopt a pitbull understanding only the things the shelters and rose-tinted media that want to get dogs adopted tell you, or you buy a pitbull dog from a breeder, you completely overlook the understanding that not only are they by purpose a bloodsport dog— but also that they are incredibly good at it and enjoy it. They are not trained to do it, they do not have to be. It is ingrained the same way that tracking is for a hound and herding is for a collie. If you never learn what that dog’s trigger is, you will not know if/when they will go off.

Are pitbulls owned majority by mariginalized communities? Maybe. Why is that? Because systematic racism has led to those communities having fewer opportunities, and the #1 dog breed in animal shelters is the pitbull. It isn’t racist to not like pitbulls, but it absolutely IS racist to equate a bloodsport dog to a human, or to think that not liking a bloodsport dog makes you racist somehow. You are the one making the race connection, not people advocating against owning dangerous dogs.

The only “racist dogwhistle” that includes a pitbull is the fact that they are used as a symbol by white supremacist groups.

They are not a nanny dog and never were, they are not a family dog and never were, and the clear disparity between “they are banned in my country because they are responsible for 60% all fatal attacks on humans and 81% of those on other dogs.” and “this is America I should be allowed to own a bloodsport dog” is insanity.

It is not racist to be wary of/speak up against the only dog still used in such high numbers the fighting pit, and to advocate for banning of breeding them to combat dogfighting for the dogs’ quality of life and shelter overcrowding.

• The Fifth Estate: “Maybe the child was crying.”

• Dogsbite.org

• Safety before pit bulldogs

• One year of pitbulls being legal in Denver

• Dog Bite Law

• National Pitbull Victim Awareness

• Treatment of Pediatric Dog-bite Wounds: A 5-year Retrospective Review

My post on Recognizing/Reporting dogfighting

today i learned about the very strange racist dogwhistle that is passionate hatred for pitbulls.

[wrestlingwiththoughts]

The First Annual WrestleMania Week 2024 Awards

The most interesting parts of WrestleMania Week 2024 were, as usual, in the shows that took place around Philadelphia this year. Though I didn't travel to Philadelphia for the shows, I tried to craft a path that covered as many of the most interesting shows that streamed as possible.

To start, let's acknowledge the shows that I was able to watch:

DEFY Wrestling: Can't Deny It

STARDOM: American Dream 2024 in the Keystone State

GCW Presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X

The first half of the Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!

Jersey Championship Wrestling: JCW & GCW vs. The World

ROH Supercard of Honor 2024

CMLL Super Viernes (April 5, 2024)

Let's also provide the caveats on the shows that were on my radar that I was not able to watch due to timing conflicts:

The second half of the Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

DDT Pro-Wrestling: DDT Goes Philadelphia

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling: LIVE in Philly

Wrestling REVOLVER & Hog of Glory Wrestling

Game Changer Wrestling: Joey Janela's Spring Break 8

Expect the Unexpected: Unlock the Unexpected - ETU vs. Dragongate

The call to promoters who schedule shows around major AEW and WWE shows: I understand the need to schedule around those shows. I suspect the desire to competing against WWE SmackDown, ROH Supercard of Honor, WrestleMania XL Nights One and Two forced promoters to focus on Thursday night as the premier evening option of WrestleMania Week 2024. The point of the weekend is, presumably, to make money via ticket sales and through the streaming sales that a company would make. Forcing customers to choose your show over competing options limits the ticket and streaming sales and exposure that your company can get that week.

On Thursday night, I was able to give the Hitchcock Memorial Supershow about an hour of undivided attention before I switched to focus on DEAN~!!. I missed the DDT show completely, and given the pace of WrestleMania Week and wrestling in general, I will most likely never watch DDT's show (or any other show that I had to skip due to time conflict). That means that I won't even have the chance to forget about the widely praised KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. Shunma Katsumata and Mike Bailey vs. Yuki Ueno matches because I won't ever watch them. Had DDT's show taken place on Friday afternoon, it would have received undivided attention and possibly better ticket sales and more views on WrestleUniverse.

With that said, here are my reflections on this year's WrestleMania Week in the form of my supremely prestigious awards.

The "Best Pure Vibes" Award: ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!

I visited the Death Valley Driver Video Review Message Board fairly regularly when I was younger, but I never created an account or tried to participate because it seemed too intimidating. My horizons broadened by reading discussions and reviews on Segunda Caida, but I never felt like I had anything worthwhile to add because my wrestling viewing was limited to some syndicated WWF shows, some ECW, and mostly WWF and WCW. Nonetheless, I recognized the name "Dean Rasmussen" in the message board and SC reviews, and I was sorry to hear of his passing. DEAN~!! was held in Rasmussen's honor, and it was probably my favorite show of the week. It had a vision, and that vision was felt in the eclectic mix of matches on the card, the exuberant commentary from Dylan Hales and John Mosely. Wrestling promoters and fans will sometimes defend nonsensical character development and plots, cringeworthy comedy, and substandard wrestling by claiming that wrestling shows have to feel uneven because they're variety shows that offer a little something to everyone. DEAN~!! felt like a repudiation of that defense, a counterargument that wrestling itself can provide that buffet without relying on the tired tropes that companies trot out when they refuse to think of anything better.

These are a few of my favorite things from DEAN~!!:

Colby Corino's setup for and commitment to the headlock gimmick. He was a busy and tired man, so he tried to win using the basic move in his arsenal. That went fine for him until Alex Kane was able to use his dedication to worker smarter, not harder against him. The match combined comedy and action very well, and it's forced me to re-evaluate my impression of Corino from the days when he ran with Eddie Kingston, Joe Gacy, and Shane Strickland in Evolve as The Unwanted.

O'Shay Edwards for ending the match with a moonsault. When a man as large as Edwards lands on you, the match should be over, and it was, which meant that the match ended at the right time.

The Ugly Ducklings and Violence Is Forever for giving the crowd an unexpected sprint.

Tom Lawlor for his reticence to touch the disgusting, bloodstained canvas that was used for his match with One Called Manders against the Coven of the Goat. I wouldn't want to either.

Dr. Cerebro for having some of the best looking gear that I saw all weekend. The key details are the exposed brain and glasses sewn on his mask.

Avery Good, the IWTV Championship Committee, and ACTION for commissioning a slightly larger IWTV Independent World Championship belt. It's a good bit.

Krule and Jake Parnell for surpassing my low expectations for their match. It was overbooked, but it was overbooked in a good way, and Krule impressed the most since the show where he emerged from a cornfield.

Arez for being such an odd fellow. Master of the Strange Style indeed had a match with Chikara alumnus Matt Makowski that exceeded my expectations.

Slim J for refusing to go gentle into that good night. He and Adam Priest ripped off an exciting match days after Slim J was released from AEW, and it hopefully makes promoters reflect on how they misused someone this talented.

Marcus Mathers for making me reevaluate my opinion after writing him off as a scramble flippy guy.

Demus and Mad Dog Connelly for unleashing violence and mayhem. Connelly started the match by snapping the chain and hitting Demus with it, and he upped the ante by punching Demus with chain-wrapped fists.

Daniel Makabe and Timothy Thatcher for rewarding the attention that I was forced to pay their match due to their style. Grappling-focused matches don't have obvious moments of excitement for most viewers, so you're forced to watch closely for small shifts in angle and advantage. Makabe and Thatcher had a match where I felt like the attention that I paid to them after a long day of watching wrestling was worth the effort.

The "But Now You Have My Attention" Award: The Sovereign/Sinner & Saint

My major takeaway from DEFY's Can't Deny It was the fast-paced and tightly executed work from Judas Icarus, Travis Williams, and Evan Rivers in their match against the Dragongate team (more on one of them later) and C4XKC. Icarus and Williams, as Sinner & Saint truly caught my attention in their match against Marcus Mathers and Austin Luke at DEAN~!!, and I'll peek in on what they'll do in TNA now that they're signed there.

The "Champagne Problems" Award: Mariah May

In the grand scope, AEW's insistence on continuing with Timeless Toni won't determine whether they sign a profitable TV deal or whether their ticket sales or TV ratings will reach new heights or depths. On a personal level, the combination of Timeless Toni and the Brochachos drove me away from AEW, and it took months before I could trust the company to not focus so heavily on crappy content. I'm willing to stomach a few minutes of Timeless Toni every week in recognition that nothing can be perfect. Nonetheless, watching Mariah May wrestle with Mina Shirakawa and Xia Brookside against Mayu Iwatani, Momo Kohgo, and Tam Nakano at STARDOM's show and against Kohgo during the ROH Zero Hour preshow highlighted how fresh and exciting she feels and how tired and mortifying watching Toni Storm play Timeless Toni feels.

The "Indifference Is Worse Than Hate" Award: Shun Skywalker

I gave Dragongate a chance to capture my heart in 2023, and it failed to attach. So, I wanted to give Dragongate another chance in a setting that piqued my interest in Dragon Gate back in 2006. Instead, the Dragongate team of Kzy, Shun Skywalker, and Ho Ho Lun seemed to disappear during their match in the DEFY show. I had hoped that it was an aberration, but the Dragongate group of YAMATO, Dragon Kid, and Shun Skywalker underwhelmed in the tag match against Los Desperados in JCW & GCW vs. The World. Then, the whole Dragongate group had an underwhelming performance in the much hyped match against Team CMLL during the Hitchcock Memorial Supershow. I want to give them one more chance with the ETU vs. Dragongate show, but the Dragongate showing this trip did not inspire me to give the company another chance in 2024.

The "Half-Hearted Efforts Produce Half-Hearted Results" Award: ROH Supercard of Honor 2024

Crowning Mark Briscoe as the ROH World Champion on the anniversary of his brother's ascension should have felt triumphant. Instead, it felt perfunctory, which seems deeply wrong. Other than the knowledge that it was Jay Briscoe's championship anniversary, viewers received no cues for the emotional stakes of the match, and pitting Mark Briscoe against fan favorite Eddie Kingston seemed misguided.

The "That Sure Is A Decision That You Can Make" Award: Syuri, Masha Slamovich, JCW, GCW

I was looking forward to Syuri vs. Masha Slamovich at JCW & GCW vs. The World when it was announced, and it was one of the matches that kept me going through the fatigue from the grueling activity of watching wrestling for hours on end on Thursday. My spirit deflated when ring announcer Emil Jay announced a 30 minute time limit for the match since he announced no time limit for the other matches on the show. It was also billed as a JCW Championship match, and since Syuri wasn't going to win the title from Slamovich this weekend, my expectations joined my spirit in a state of deflation. The fact that they wrestled to a 30 minute time limit draw at 1:00 am Eastern in front of a listless crowd probably contributed to my dissatisfaction with the match; it felt like a slowly paced collection of moves rather than a coherent story told through the medium of professional wrestling.

The Best Match of the Weekend, Leyenda Division: Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther

Bryan Danielson is my favorite wrestler, and I've greatly enjoyed his post-WWE run. He's made it clear for years to anyone who would listen that he greatly admired Blue Panther and wanted desperately to wrestle him, and we were served an appetizer when they faced each other at CMLL Homenaje A Dos Leyendas 2024 on March 29. We got the full course when Danielson and Panther wrestled at Super Viernes on April 5, and it was what I, as a Danielson fan, would have wanted from this match. Both men defied age and expectations and challenged each other's technical skills and indomitable wills. Danielson tried to play rudo by hitting the aged Panther with brutal kicks and dives and by showing off with the Santo Escape several times, but Danielson is too delightful for any attendee at Arena Mexico on April 5 to truly despise.

The Best Match of the Weekend, Non-Leyenda Division

The finalists are:

World of Stardom Championship: Maika (c) vs. Megan Bayne (STARDOM: American Dream 2024 in the Keystone State)

Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura (GCW Presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X)

Matt Makowski vs. Charlie Dempsey (GCW Presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X)

Slim J vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!)

Daniel Makabe vs. Timothy Thatcher (ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!)

Dog Collar Match: Mad Dog Connelly vs. Demus el Demonio (ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!)

Jordan Oliver vs. Aigle Blanc (JCW & GCW vs. The World)

Limited to what I saw, my pick is Connelly vs. Demus, which was the most fun of these great matches. I was hooting and hollering as they bludgeoned each other with garbage cans, chained fists, and possibly fans, and the experience was heightened by the very game crowd at DEAN~!!.

My second pick would be Maika vs. Megan Bayne, which featured a great story of Maika, usually the bully, finding herself unable to bully the bigger and stronger Bayne. Maika's absurd Michinoku Driver from the second rope on Bayne looked absolutely reckless and devastating, and it felt unique among the many watches from the past week.

[randomacts18]

BloosSport 5 Review

GCW Josh Barnetts BloodSport 5 Review Preshow notes: This is my first BloodSport. I'm pretty excited to watch this. I like the set up, I feel like Raw Underground stole the style of BloodSport. -------- Bad Dude Tito vs Calder McColl -Really back and forth. McColl looks like he can work himself out of holds and submissions. Tito hit a huge german suplex and hits McColl with countless palm strikes throughout the match. McColl hits a huge knee then goes for a submisson and on his second attempt he locks in a sleeper. Rating: 4/5 -------- Calvin Tankman vs Nolan Edwards -Edwards eats blows from Tankman thoughtout the fight. Edwards gets a few good blows in like a flying knee. Edwards tries to lock in a few submissons, but the size difference was too much. Tankmans slams Edwards and uses blows to secure his win.   Rating: 3/5 -------- Kal Jack vs Super Beast -Kal Jack gets a couple of huge slams in on Super Beast. Super Beast pulls off a tornado kick outta nowhere. Super Beast gets a few good strikes and reversals in, but Kal Jack puts Super Beast out with a side choke headlock. Rating:  3/5 -------- Royce Isaacs vs Alex Coughlin -A lot of back and forth between the two. Isaacs reverses a armbar to a cloverleaf submisson that surprises everyone. Coughlin gets a few good strikes and tries to lock in some solid holds. Isaacs however, hits a huge backdrop suplex and then locked in a full stretch dragon sleeper. Rating: 3/5 ------- Simon Grimm vs Rocky Romero -Both men traded amazing slams/suplexs and submissons. Extremely surprising fight. Rating: 5/5 ------ JR Kratos vs Chris "Dirty Daddy" Dickinson -Kratos pulled out some powerhouse moves and an explosive start, he followed up with some good holds. Dickinson got in some good strikes and a crazy german suplex. Dickinson comes out of nowhere with a solid sleeper. Rating: 3.5/5 ------ Semi-Main Event: Filthy Tom Lawlor vs Jeff Cobb -Lawlor got in a good amount of holds in. Cobb pulled off several huge slams and managed to escape all of Lawlor's holds and lock in a winning full nelson. Rating: 4.5./5 ----- Main Event: Jon Moxley vs Davey Boy Smith Jr -(Sidenote: This was the main reason I checked out BloodSport 5) This was one hellva brawl. Smith Jr used his family knowledge of submisson to combat Moxley's chaotic style and just pure brawling style. Rating: 5/5 =========================== Overall Rating: 4/5 - The best fights of the night were easily, Romero vs Grimm and Moxley vs Smith Jr. Grimm vs Romero had style and techinque, It also showed off the amount of talent each man has. Moxley vs Smith Jr was just a striaght brawl mixed with a surprising amount of submisson mixed in. Several other matches like Cobb vs Lawlor and Tito vs McColl were pretty exciting fights to watch. I'll definitely be checking out the next BloodSport.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

“The Suicide Squad” movie review:

Short review:

It’s better than the 2016 movie. I give it a solid A rating.

Long review: 

I’m going to approach this movie from a different angle than my usual reviews. For me to really talk about this movie, I have to go back and discuss how I felt about the 2016 movie. First and foremost, let me just say that I hate the 2016 Suicide Squad film. It was clunky, pointless, and felt like a bunch of scenes stapled together rather than a cohesive picture. What’s interesting is that a big reason why the 2021 movie succeeds is that it fixed a lot of what I felt were the 2016 movie’s problems. 

This is why I have to take a different angle for this review. To really talk about the good points, I gotta go into what I felt were problems in the 2016 movie and explain how the 2021 movie rectified those mistakes. Alright, let’s begin.

1) The mission is more appropriate for this type of team. I felt that the 2016 movie went about the wrong way by sending the Suicide Squad in to stop Enchantress from conquering the city/world. I know that it was more so to rescue Amanda Waller, but I felt that the mission in the 2016 movie was more suited for a Justice League-type team. 

The Suicide Squad is a black ops team made of imprisoned supervillains that is sent in to do Waller’s dirty work. They should be doing shady shit that rubs the audience the wrong way. And in the 2021 movie, that’s what they’re doing. The mission is objectively horrible since it’s the US intervening in a South American country to cover up their illegal actions (insert real world parallels here). That’s far from heroic, but it works for the movie since that’s exactly what the Squad should be used for.

/

2) The movie actually lives up to the “Suicide” part of “Suicide Squad”. If I recall correctly, only two members of the Squad and some rando Navy SEALs died in the original film. While I generally frown on stories just killing people off for shock value, Suicide Squad is an exception since a high body count is to be expected for this team. Heck, even Deadshot called out that there’s a high chance most of them will die during the mission. So yes, most of the team dies in the 2021 movie, but it’s fine since it’s being true to the story and the comics.

/

3) The movie did a better job at portraying the team as villains being forced to do another villain’s dirty work. Deadshot repeatedly says in the 2016 movie that they’re bad guys, but the movie didn’t do a good job showing that. It’s Will Smith, the audience knows his character is actually a good man on the inside. And that’s not even covering Diablo, the tragic man who is trying to repent for his past actions, or Katana, who isn’t even a supervillain.

In the 2021 movie, it’s a lot more clear that the characters we’re following are horrible people. Bloodsport is a shitty father who competes with Peacemaker over who can kill the most creatively. Peacemaker is Captain America but if he was a crazy, right-wing monster. Ratcatcher 2 is an apathetic bank robber. Polka Dot Man is basically Norman Bates. And Harley Quinn is...Harley Quinn. While the team does get their hero moment, I like that the Squad was actually portrayed as supervillains being forced to do good. 

/

4) Way better characterization for Amanda Waller. While 2016 Amanda Waller was no saint, 2021 Amanda Waller is straight up an irredeemable monster. And that’s good because the concept of the Suicide Squad (forcing prisoners to do illegal operations for the government) is vile to begin with. 

/

5) The found family dynamics feels more earned in this movie than the 2016 film. I already wrote this in another post, but it’s not enough to just tell the audience that the team is a family. Harley Quinn can say her teammates are her family all she wants, but it’s not convincing since there were barely any scenes of the 2016 team just bonding. Yeah, they had that scene at the bar, but most of that scene was dedicated to Diablo’s backstory. Other than that, the team were just sorta together. 

In the 2021 movie, you actually believe that the Squad is a found family just based on how they interact. What’s the big difference? Well, the team actually...you know...interacts with each other. This is where James Gunn really shines through since the “Guardians of the Galaxy” vibe really works for this type of story. You can’t just tell the audience that the team is a family, you need to show it, which Gunn does. 

/

6) The movie utilizes the team way better than the 2016 film. A big problem I had with the first film was that the story didn’t really justify why the Squad had to be the ones to handle Enchantress. The US government already had the Navy SEALs. Plus, there were several members who didn’t really contribute to the mission. I kept forgetting that Killer Croc was there, Captain Boomerang wasn’t given that much to do, and Katana was completely wasted.  

The 2021 movie did a better job justifying why each member of the Squad was important. Yes, most of them died, but the deaths established just how expendable the team was. And for the final battle, each member contributed in taking Starro down. I never felt that there was a teammate who could’ve been left out of the movie. Even the members who died early on were more memorable than the 2016 roster. 

/

Okay, that’s a good stopping point. To sum up, this movie feels like James Gunn read the negative reviews for the 2016 movie and used them as a reference in directing the 2021 movie. Even though Warner Bros and DC don’t want to call this movie a reboot, it really does feel like one due to how much it feels like a do-over. And you know what...I’m fine with that since the end result was a much better, more cohesive story.

[cerastes]

May I request a review of general coolness and awesome of the horses we saw during the event?

Right, Maria Nearl event!

I liked the event quite a lot, though I do feel like it dropped the ball at the end. That aside, I had a lot of fun the entire time!

First of all, the cast was wonderful. Maria is explicitly not a powerful or skilled fighter to any degree that matters in the frame of strength the story takes place in, being definitely more skilled than the average person and even the average nameless knight, but being woefully outclassed by practically anyone that has a name in the Major. A humble mechanic with a heart drenched in justice, Maria doesn’t even like to fight, and adheres to a knightly ideal and a duty she must fulfill instead to justify her participation in these commercialized bloodsports, which carries the narrative. She is joined by a lovable cast of rambunctious family and family friends, who serve as her mentors and support: Her aunt, who is more akin to an older sister-slash-maternal figure, Zofia, who we are immediately shown is so close to Maria that the moment Maria made a big decision (the participation in the Major) without confirming with Zofia first, she immediately chastised her, wondering why she did not consult with her beforehand. Aunt Zofia is her aunt only due to technicality, as she’s a lady-in-waiting (or, in other words, belongs to a branch family of the Nearl clan, and is actually only 5 years older than Maria) and, more importantly, a decorated, retired competition knight who earned enough in her career that she can live comfortably for the rest of her life, ironically far outstripping the main Nearl house in terms of wealth. There’s also Kowal, an old Ursus mechanic, engineer and smith who mentors Maria in the ways of the wrench, willing to pass his workshop to Maria with her as his successor any day of the week, who himself also used to be a squire to V, an old, retired knight of old who served as Grandpa Nearl’s peerless sharpshooter and who trained Zofia back in the day. Finally, we have Old Marcin, owner of the cast’s favorite hangout, a little bar where he and Maria mediate the infinite squabbles, fights, and arguments that Kowal, V, and occasionally Zofia spark between one another. The event does a great work of introducing the dynamic between these five characters as something extremely domestic and comfortable: You can tell these five are tight and that they have spent a long time together. It’s just another day in their low profile lives when, suddenly, Maria dons Margaret’s old armor and decides to take arms for the main Nearl house, which is currently on the brink of ruin and about to lose its knighthood and nobility titles.

And this decision, and everything this decision means, informs everything that happens afterwards: Zofia tells Maria that if she’s worried about being left homeless, then that’s just foolishness, since Zofia is absolutely 100% ok with Maria moving in with her. She’s loaded. They can live comfortably for the rest of their lives without a concern. Kowal, likewise, insists that Maria is a good enough mechanic that she can earn a living by doing that. But, see, it’s not about a livelihood for Maria, it’s about preserving that for which Margaret and Grandpa Nearl fought and stood for, it’s never about the wealth, it’s about the name, the principle, not the glory, the weight of ideals that blood was shed to nourish and maintain. Maria is not even sure if she’s doing the right thing, but she’s got to do something. Why? Look no further than Uncle Mlynar. A bitter man, a corporate slave, spitting bile at her niece and apologies at his bosses. And the fact that it is very clear that this guy can kick some serious ass -- we never see him without his trusty blade hanging on his hip and, at the end, tells Margaret to square the hell up -- makes it all the sadder: In any other context, Mlynar might be a knight’s knight, hell, Margaret herself says she respects him still, but the Mlynar we see now is an unimportant cog in the capitalist system, just another grunt apologizing to his phone every time his lips part, who gets in hot water just by making small talk because, whoops, your workload accumulated again, better get chop chopping. Mlynar is a very telling character, because he represents everything Maria resents about the current state of the Nearl family: Disgraced, meaningless, existing as an extension of other bigger conglomerates. He is what she wishes to never become, and what the Nearl house cannot be any longer, if she has any saying on the matter.

Maria is not a good fighter. This is important and delightful, because she wins not due to aptitude, strength, or experience, she instead uses her knowledge as a mechanic, her “pegasian sight” (what Grandpa uses to refer to Maria’s incredibly powerful investigative faculties, being able to analyze situations and catch even the smallest details quickly) and the sheer heft of her brass pair of metaphorical horse balls to pull through with clutch victory after clutch victory. Zofia trying to cram as much fundamentals as she can on Maria in as little time as possible so she can survive also helps a lot.

Maria’s victories earn her the possibility of sponsorships, which would, superficially, fix her problems: The main Nearl house would retain status, she’d get a Title, and she would not have to fight anymore. But, see, this is not the point of Maria’s fight. One might say “Maria should’ve just taken the sponsorships”, but that’s not the point of Maria’s fight. She is pushing back against this highly commercialized view on “knighthood”, just like Margaret before her did. Margaret had a clear intent and her passions made her act mostly in anger, as she makes no secret: She hates Kazimierz for what it has become. Maria’s intent is less clear, even to herself, but she’s very much aiming for the same thing, but instead of Margaret’s anger, Maria has her determination. To have taken any sponsorship would have superficially kept the Nearl house afloat, but Maria is not looking to keep the house alone afloat, she’s looking to keep the house and the ideals in which it was built afloat. It goes beyond mere status.

In a world as bleak as Arknights’ and specially Kazimierz, Maria is no doubt naive to the point of frustration... But it is that which we call naive that makes a knight’s knight: Chivalry forged from ideals, sacrifice’s blunt borne from beliefs. The easy way out would’ve ultimately doomed her story, hence why she did not just move in with Zofia, hence why she did not just succeed Kowal and accept his workshop, hence why did not accept a sponsorship: It never was about that.

The very first event of the game, Grani’s Treasure, takes place in Kazimierz as well, but in the isolated outskirts, and we see hard-working, honest people, inhabitants of a nice little scenic hamlet. Now, we see what Kazimierz really looks like: A sprawling megalopolis of neon and concrete where the system shamelessly feeds on whoever sticks out their neck. The contrast couldn’t be harsher, and any hell is upheld by its demons: Czarny was a fascinating character, in that he very clearly held a lot of influence and power... And was extremely replaceable. The moment he messed up badly enough, he was instantly replaced by just whoever the hell picked up the phone next. It’s chilling. One puppet performed poorly? Irrelevant, there’s an endless supply who’ll take his place, provided enough fear and funds. Fear and money. The two currencies of Kazimierz. When a shadow council can just appoint you as the next Spokesman just on basis of you having picked up a phone without any real background check beyond “the previous Spokesman likely intended for this next sack of meat to pick up his phone in case he messed up”, well, congratulations, you’ve crafted a terrifying capitalist hellscape. No wonder Margaret hates Kazimierz so much, given the rot brewing in its underbelly and upper echelons.

And to all this, I have to say: It’s lovely. I loved the world building, implicit and explicit, I loved the cast, I love the themes explored and how characters were used to juxtapose these.

I feel it kinda drops the ball at the end by just... Not having a conclusion? It just sort of ends, which is very weird because events tend to be good at concluding themselves. I assumed we’d get some post-Challenge stages cutscenes to tie everything up like in the past but... No, not really, it didn’t happen. Margaret swoops in, the sisters perform the Ultimate Kamehameha on the Sarkazian Knights, and then it sort of ends one brief talk later. It needed a bigger epilogue, for sure. But this doesn’t ruin the event or anything, just a bit of a weak ending, everything else is still delightful and I loved it very much.

So yeah! The horses sure were wonderful!

[flyguy]

#squadgoals Mcfarlane doing a pretty good job here but some negatives. Watch our McFarlane Toys DC Suicide Squad Harley Quinn, Polka DM, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark Reviews: > https://youtu.be/1_J1YGbxGK8 (link to YT in bio for Insta peeps) BUY THIS 👉 http://bit.ly/dorksideTOYS SOLD OUT? BUY IT HERE: ► https://ebay.us/hajSr1 #suicidesquad #harleyquinn #dc #margotrobbie #kingshark #thesuicidesquad #justiceleague #johncena #movie #dccomics #FLYGUY #FLYGUYtoys — view on Instagram https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/272319397_673105470711401_2672592131536535677_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8ae9d6&_nc_ohc=cQeEYaDhnKUAX9jwbpH&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AT_NG8fHr4Fi23oGhllEyj-LgvRe_9ok7Is_PW4op40cmA&oe=61F32BB6

[dispatchdcu]

Suicide Squad #5 Preview

Suicide Squad #5 Preview #suicidesquad #taskforcex #amandawaller #talon #superboy #peacemaker #DC #dccomics #comics #comicbooks #news #dcu #dcuuniverse #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #amazon

Suicide Squad #5 Synopsis: After the disastrous mission to Titans Academy and an ill-fated confrontation with Red X, Task Force X looks into the Multiverse for its next recruits under Amanda Waller. Assigned to investigate the status of Earth-3, the team’s field leader, Peacemaker, begins to question what Waller plans to do with her ultimate Suicide Squad, as the deadly Bloodsport takes…

[astralbooks]

S.T.A.G.S. - M A Bennett

Read: 13/4/19 - 14/4/19

Rating: 3/5

Review: also posted on goodreads

Greer is a scholarship student at St Aidan the Great boarding school, a really expensive private school that's known colloquially as S.T.A.G.S.. She, and a couple of other people who don't fit in to the norm of being white and coming from a historically rich family, are at the bottom of the pecking order. When the ringleaders of the school invite her and two others to a weekend of bloodsports, they decide to go along and try to enjoy themselves, only to find that they're the ones being hunted.

I really like Bennett's writing style, it's clear and engaging and sucked me right in. I had fun while reading this, and if you're looking for something fun to fill a few hours, then go right ahead and read this. But honestly I was expecting more out of it. The premise made it sound like the 'misfits' were going to be in a lot more danger than they ended up being in. It was described as being 'one deadly weekend', and to fit that criteria then at least one person needed to actually die as a result of the bloodsports. There is a single death in this book, and it wasn't because of the bloodsports and wasn't one of the misfits, so it doesn't count for this. Don't promise me death if you aren't going to deliver !! Greer herself is obsessed with old films because she watches them with her Dad. That's fine on its own, but it got to the point where every few pages she was describing something by saying 'It's like in that old film X where Y happened.' Funnily enough, not everyone has seen all of these films, and novels are supposed to have actual written description in them. If this had happened only once or twice it wouldn't be an issue, but it felt like it was constant. Also, everything about the ending felt completely unnecessary to me. I think this would've been a lot more powerful if it had just been a bunch of rich white kids deciding to kill those they deemed beneath them, rather than it being part of a centuries old conspiracy, but hey that's just me. I don't think that I'm going to be reading any more of Bennett's books. Both of her books that I've read so far have just been okay, and their endings have annoyed me, so I'm going to invest my time elsewhere. I recieved a digital copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[adventseven]

Peacemaker Mid-Season Review

Peacemaker has bloodied, bulleted, and buffooneried his way through this freshman season. It’s been funny, bombastic, and surprisingly sad. As the first season reaches its endgame, I want to talk about why Peacemaker is the best superhero show on streaming right now.

James Gunn has managed to not once, but twice, pull dramatic and emotional performances out of professional wrestlers. He did it with Dave Bautista as Drax, and he does again with the former “Dr. of Thuganomics” John Cena. While Drax in the MCU isn’t as deep as his comic book counterpart, playing him opened up a plethora of roles that have eluded other famous pro-wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson. When Johnson was starring in Baywatch, Bautista was starring in Blade Runner 2049. Even in 2021 Johnson stuck to more fun fare like Jungle Cruise, while Bautista was starring in Army of The Dead. I wholeheartedly expect something similar to happen to John Cena’s career thanks to his deep yet funny Peacemaker performance.

Peacemaker is so great because he’s layered. A former hero who has slowly become his worst villain. A hero with such deep trauma it keeps him from living a normal life. He’s more than just the asshole who betrayed The Suicide Squad back on Corto Maltese, he’s the asshole who did that and it has destroyed his insides. Not to mention dealing with the trauma of having a dead brother and a racist supervillain for a father. There’s a scene in The Suicide Squad where Bloodsport and Ratcatcher 2 are talking about their fathers. Peacemaker sits in the back, calmly listening to their conversation, which is even more depressing with our newfound knowledge of his father.

It would be a complete disservice to you - the reader - if I don’t talk about the surprise secondary star of the show, Vigilante. Vigilante is hilarious, like Deadpool level hilarious. He’s so innocent and yet so deranged. He says some of the most stupid and funny things I’ve ever heard, which really fits the humor of the show. There’s a scene in “Episode 4: The Choad Less Traveled,” where Vigilante hilariously and disgustingly insults The White Dragon and his skinheads. It’s brutal, it grabs your attention, and I loved it.

Speaking of brutal, the action in this show has really moved on into bloodtastic territory. Episode 5 is particularly bloody, as Peacemaker blasts butterflies in the face with a shotgun and turns them into chili with a silly, homemade bomb. Even Economos gets in on the bloody action as he murders an evil gorilla with a chainsaw (no, not that evil gorilla). I would say that this scene really showcased the team’s best teamwork so far, though I bet their best moments of working together are yet to come.

Things are really ramping up as the series continues like a demented freight train. Murn and Adebayo have big secrets, and secrets get revealed. The butterflies are here in force and they are not stopping until their evil plan comes to fruition. Peacemaker’s mind and world are slowly unraveling and he’s unsure of who he should be or who he should trust. And even as this is all happening, his dad has gotten out of prison and has only one plan on his mind, “kill his fucking son.”

I’m still loving Peacemaker with every new episode. It’s been fun to see the hero America needs (but probably not the one you should invite to a school) do his best to save the world. With an army of butterflies and his now-power-armored father coming after him, Peacemaker and the team will have their work cut out for them. I bet Peacemaker will blast at them with his chrome Deagle while calling them sloppy-brained cumnuggets or something similarly gross. Definitely not something you’d say around your grandma, unless she’s a butterfly too.

Ep.4: The Choad Less Traveled (9/10)

Ep.5: Monkey Dory (9.2/10)

Ep.6: Murn After Reading (9/10)

By Julian Hayden

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Advent_Seven Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AdventSevenMedia Join our Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AdventSeven/ Find Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdventSevenMedia/

[world-nerd]

I posted 364 times in 2021

11 posts created (3%)

353 posts reblogged (97%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 32.1 posts.

I added 24 tags in 2021

#soundcloud - 5 posts

#chill - 4 posts

#relax - 4 posts

#daredevil - 2 posts

#cyberpunk - 2 posts

#dc comics - 2 posts

#matt murdock - 2 posts

#margo robbie - 1 posts

#king shark - 1 posts

#bloodsport - 1 posts

Longest Tag: 37 characters

#resident evil welcome to raccoon city

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

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2049

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#1

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[waycityparkingdestinations]

How to keep calm and ace the hunt for Los Angeles parking

Los Angelenos might be used to the parking woes in the city, but it would still shock them to know that things haven’t gotten better over time. According to the latest U.S Parking Index, downtown Los Angeles parking is ranked as the country’s 7th most expensive places to park! Citizens have described finding parking here as a “bloodsport” and “the lowest circle of hell” - not very flattering at all!  

A simple drive around Los Angeles will tell you why the city struggles with parking so much. High rates of vehicle ownership, proliferation of freeways, growth of the city outwards, and high construction costs lead to a shortage of cheap parking in Los Angeles. Crowded restaurants and other institutions have even looked at valet parking in Los Angeles as an alternative option.  

The debate surrounding City of Los Angeles parking may rage on, but Angelenos cannot afford to wait until permanent solutions are found. The best way forward is to learn how to navigate the maze of parking through hacks, rules, and a bit of common sense! Want to know what to do to keep your cool in LA? Read on to know more. 

1. Avoid these areas you're more likely to get Los Angeles parking tickets 

While the whole of Los Angeles can be tricky to navigate for parking, there’s something worse than driving around aimlessly. That’s getting slapped with a parking ticket! City of Los Angeles parking tickets don’t come cheap – Angelenos on average pay almost $100 every year in ticket fines compared to the national average of $12. 

You’re more likely to violate parking rules when parking in downtown LA, so you’d do well to avoid it during rush hour. Other places you can avoid for parking include Santa Monica and West Hollywood. 

2. Avoid parking illegally during these times of the day 

There are also certain times of the day when Los Angeles parking can get really troublesome. More tickets are disbursed during mornings (when drivers rush to get their lattes) and during lunchtime (when hungry drivers park haphazardly while rushing to restaurants). If you’re looking to grab that quick coffee or lunch, try to plan ahead so that you won’t have to park randomly.  

3. Choose valet parking in Los Angeles where possible 

A quick hack to avoid the headache of driving around for a spot – just outsource it! That’s right, some places in LA (like restaurants, museums, and clubs) offer valet parking as a complimentary service. If you’re heading to such a place, you’re in luck! All you need to do is drive up to the curb and hand it over to the official valet, who will then either park your car at their on-site lot or at an available street parking spot. 

Just be sure to research whether your destination has valet parking or not before leaving home.  

4. Memorize the rules for street parking 

This is non-negotiable: you can’t expect to park anywhere and then complain when you’re fined a ticket. The best way to keep cool is to know what each parking sign and curb color mean. That way, you won’t have to fret over whether you’re allowed to park somewhere. 

Street parking is cheaper than other off-site options, but it comes with a huge disadvantage. The numerous parking regulations, time limits, and other rules can often cause you frustration. 

Here are the basic rules you need to follow while parking on the street. 

Don't park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or fire station driveway 

Do not park more than 18 inches from the curb when parallel parking 

Don't park in a manner blocking a public or private driveway 

Illegal parking in disabled parking zones is prohibited 

Take permission of the owner before parking on private property 

Don't park on a bridge unless it has a sign allowing it 

These rules are followed across California. 

5. Keep in mind the LA-specific rules 

In LA, you cannot park for more than 72 hours in one parking spot. Failure to move your car within the stipulated time limit could get it towed by authorities.  

Your car will be considered abandoned if you park for more than 10 days in a spot. 

Do not park in an alley, except for loading/unloading reasons. 

You can park in your driveway or someone else’s driveway with their permission.  

6. Understand the Los Angeles parking colors  

You can smoothen your LA parking experience simply by memorizing a set of colors! That’s right – instead of looking for parking signs, you can zoom into a spot based on the color it sports. All it takes is some effort from your end – but it’s a high-return activity! 

Here’s a breakdown for you: 

Yellow-colored curbs allow commercial loading for 30 minutes, general passengers up to 5 min. 

Green-colored curbs allow short-term parking for 15-30 minutes, as shown on the signboards. 

Blue-colored curbs allow disabled parking only. 

White-colored curbs allow passenger loading for 5 minutes only. 

Red-colored curbs mean no stopping or parking during the specified times. 

7. Choose Los Angeles parking garages instead of street parking 

While cheap parking in Los Angeles is street parking, there are certain disadvantages that could lead you to lose your cool. Dents and scratches from careless drivers are one major pain point. Parking tickets are another. 

Many of the issues listed above can be avoided by parking in a downtown Los Angeles garage. Garages are sometimes misunderstood as being prohibitively expensive parking options. If you choose the right garage, though, you'll find that it offers outstanding value for money. In downtown Los Angeles, there are several well-kept, well-lit, paved, and secure parking structures.  

Finding the best City of Los Angeles parking garages is a challenge, but parking apps and websites like Way.com can help you there! 

8..  Use parking apps to pre-book a spot 

In Los Angeles, there are excellent garages now accessible through the use of parking apps. These services curate a huge network of Los Angeles parking lots and garages across the city that have been user-reviewed, quality-checked, and offer reasonable rates. Most popular parking apps like Way.com also have a smooth interface to ease the booking process, and even offer discounts and vouchers for up to 50% off. 

[lets-get-reel]

Suicide Squad 2 Review

Well, the time is here! After 5 years has passed, the suicide squad team is back for an all new adventure, albeit without a few characters, but with all new characters involved. Let's talk about The Suicide Squad:Plot: Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.In 2016, David Ayers gave us the first Suicide Squad, which is DC's version of Guardians Of The Galaxy. In that movie, you have Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flagg, and others working together to take down bad guys. When it was released, reviews were negative but made over $746 million worldwide, so a sequel was very likely. 5 years later, David's out, and the studio brings in James Gunn (Guardians Of The Galaxy) to take over. Can James bring the same magic to this movie like he did with Guardians? Let's talk about itFirst off, wether you like or hated Suicide Squad, this movie is much better. The action is well directed. The cast is extraordinary in bringing the character to life. Let's get this out of the way. King Shark, Ratcatcher 2, and Polka-Dot Man were the best parts of the movie. And for an R rated comic book movie, there was considerable amounts of graphic violence and gore. And it was good comic book carnage mayhem. Props to WB for giving James Gunn complete freedom to let him make his vision of his film. The way he brings the characters on the screen and they bring the realism and emotions bring out the best in these characters.Story was a mixed bag though. Pacing did move slow at times. Now while i did praise WB for givng James complete freedom, i feel like they could've told him to dial it a back on certain scenes or moments. Alot of the jokes were good, while others weren't as funny as i'd like it to be. Soundtrack was good, but, nothing energetic of memorable like in Guardians. The other mixed criticism is Harley Quinn. While i love seeing Margot Robbie return as Quinn, and she is the perfect actress to play her, i felt like certian scenes with her in it could've been taken out, they were some of the scene that did drag a bit. Final mixed criticism are the villains. I enjoy seeing Starro but it wasn't utilized alot in the movie. Plus General Suarez and The Thinker weren't really meancing or villainous enoughBiggest negative i'm gonna give, and this is not really a spoiler, but the opening scene introduces new characters and immediately get wiped out (won't say who cause i don't like spoiling anything to anyone) and most of them were featured prominently in the trailers. All in all, this was an enjoyable movie with good moments of characters and action. Definitely better than Suicide Squad 1, but far from the best comic book movie of all time. If you wanna see a James Gunn masterpiece, watch the first Guardians instead. But other than that, you'll have a good time watching it. And i wouldn't mind another movie with them again. And i like to be a part of the movement as well when i say#RELEASETHEFUCKINGAYERSCUT

8.5/10

[thewatchandtalk]

221 — The Suicide Squad (Theatrical/HBO Max) | Top 5 Idris Elba Films

Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk

This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk THE SUICIDE SQUAD .

As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.

  PLOT SUMMARY:

Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Rive prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

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[officialotakudome]

New Post has been published on Otaku Dome | The Latest News In Anime, Manga, Gaming, Tech, and Geek Culture

New Post has been published on https://otakudome.com/the-suicide-squad-review-a-fun-flawed-sequel/

The Suicide Squad Review: A Fun, Flawed Sequel

The DCEU returns with a new sequel in The Suicide Squad. Starring Idris Alba, John Cena, and Margot Robbie the new film acts as a direct continuation of the previous film as well as Birds of Prey. The sequel follows a (mostly) new incarnation of the team looking to stop a dangerous alien species from being unleashed on Earth.

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 action film, it is produced by DC Films and distributed Warner Bros. Pictures. It is currently in theaters and available for streaming on HBO Max until September 5 for premium subscribers.

Editor’s Note: Medium spoilers for The Suicide Squad and it’s predecessor as well as general Suicide Squad and DC Comics lore may be present within the review of this film.

The Squad is back (kind of).

After four years and a focus on Harley Quinn & the Birds of Prey, Suicide Squad returns to live-action. Will Smith has once again been replaced (a funny Hollywood meme) this time with Idris Alba & John Cena acting as a split perspective of his character Deadshot in Bloodsport & Peacemaker respectively. Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn as the focus of the B (or C?) plot of the film involving the son of an anti-American regime leader. 

John Cena & Idris Alba replace Will Smith in The Suicide Squad.

THE GOOD: The Suicide Squad (you have no idea how bad I want to use “2”) takes place some time after (?) the original film. Harley & Boomerang; two surviving members of the previous Suicide Squad now being referred to as Task Force X are placed into a new group of superpowered criminals. Tasked with invading an island that hosts the leader of an anti-American regime and a dangerous plot involving a mind-controlling alien named Starro much of the team dies shortly after touching down on their destination. The new team was assembled days earlier featuring Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and led by the also returning Colonel Rick Flag. The surviving members of both teams head out to the island and are split from Quinn & eventually captured by the enemy. Quinn has a B Plot involving a run-in with the dictator’s son whom she kills upon being suspicious of his criminal activities.

Harley is tortured as the Task Force X team escapes in an effort to save her. Harley escapes on her own surprising the team who also teamed up with the remaining members of a resistance group. They find a laboratory headed by The Thinker whom the capture to gain entrance. Thinker reveals that the group’s true goal isn’t just to stop Project Starfish, which is a plan to use the alien species of mind-control, but to also destroy any and all evidence of the US government’s involvement by destroying the lab with explosives. Peacemaker reveals himself as Amanda Waller’s trump card to ensure the evidence was destroyed. He and Flag get into a fight resulting in Flag being killed. Ratcatcher finds a hard drive containing evidence of the US’s involvement in Project Starfish which results in a chase with Peacemaker. Bloodsport, who split up with the others to place bombs finds Peacemaker and defends Ratcatcher seemingly killing Peacemaker in a shoot out. 

Following the destruction of the lab Starro is awakened and kills & takes control of several people (and kills Polka-Dot Man). The remaining members of the team deny direct orders from Walker to return opting instead to stop Starro and save the country. As Waller is about kill them she’s knocked unconscious by one of her agents who takes over the mission. Starro is killed when Ratcatcher summons every rat within the area who eats it alive. Bloodsport blackmails Waller with the hard drive threatening to release it if she ever tries to kill himself or the others essentially freeing them all. The end credits scene reveals that Weasel and Peacemaker survived with the latter being recovered by two of Waller’s agents.

The Suicide Squad is an oddly place film that still mostly works.

As someone who enjoyed the original Suicide Squad, I can confidently say that The Suicide Squad is a much stronger film than the previous. This film doesn’t take itself as serious as that one and has some funny humor. The action scenes can be some of it’s strongest elements, especially when Cena, Alba, and Robbie were on screen. The acting and dialogue are also a vast improvement. It felt like James Gunn and the cast had so much fun making and being involved with this movie and it really shows on screen.

The DCEU shows off it’s true potential with The Suicide Squad.

THE BAD: The worst thing about The Suicide Squad is that it has no idea what it wants to be as a DCEU film. And an example of that is all over the marketing. Like they tried incredibly hard to indicate that this wasn’t a direct sequel to the 2016 film. This felt like a similar incident with the Ghost Rider films, only in that regard they were very direct in letting you know that the two films didn’t share continuity. 

Clunky direction as a follow-up hurts the sequel film.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The Suicide Squad is a more than excellent follow-up to a decent first attempt. While it suffers from continuity issues at least on a surface level the movie standouts with stellar direction, performances, and a well done a script. Otaku Dome gives The Suicide Squad an 85 out of 100.