#michael munroe: arc two.

[rotturn]

ok fine

[blogquantumreality]

I'm just going to be salty for a second here and discuss this TV show, The Murders (2019). These two people are, respectively, Kate Jameson (Jessica Lucas) and Michael Huntley (Lochlyn Munro).

Fans of Cause of Death will likely instantly spot the parallels to Jacob Fallon in Huntley's police style in the way he plays fast and loose with the rules but gets things done.

I was honestly looking forward to the mentorship angle here with a new rookie detective learning from an experienced detective, and the tension that comes from being taught to go "by the book" versus ripping out the book's pages, so to speak.

Unfortunately, they went and killed him off in the first episode :(

Result? They end up pairing her off with Nolan Wells (Dylan Bruce), who is younger, but kind of an ass. Naturally, of course, there has to be romantic tension in the middle of all that, so I felt it was a serious downgrade to resort to this kind of cliched plot angle.

I would love an AU where Huntley survives and helps Jameson as she unravels the central arc of the first season which involves her, but alas.

[thechurchillreview]

DOESN'T CONTAIN WONDER WOMAN SPOILERS. What does a successful (money-wise, with critics, moviegoers, comics fans) Wonder Woman mean for the future of the DCEU? How about the landscape of the superhero film genre in Hollywood after the fact? Just some personal thoughts along with my own adoration for Wonder Woman! 

The reviews of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, the newest DCEU installment, seem to be more positive than the ones for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice alongside David Ayers’ Suicide Squad. The most memorable moments in Dawn of Justice were Gal Gadot’s smiling Wonder Woman kicking Doomsday’s butt singlehandedly and Ben Affleck’s Batman Arkham Asylum inspired fighting sequence towards the end. So, when it was announced that Wonder Woman was receiving the next solo live-action outing, I was extremely worried...Especially after the dismal treatment and narrative role of Amy Adams’ Lois Lane in both MoS and Dawn of Justice seriously miffed me. 

The humorous Wonder Woman Hark A Vagrant! commentary filled comic is by Kate Beaton. The WW ice cream gif is from 2011′s Justice League: War, borrowed from Tumblr user @wouldyouliketoseemymask. Comics pictured are Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost, Wonder Woman #25 under Gail Simone, Rebirth Wonder Woman: Year One, and New 52 Wonder Woman #41. 

At the same time, I sincerely hoped, almost prayed, that Wonder Woman would surpass the quality melange (I feel tonally and for watch-ability purposes Stereotype Squad is the strongest entry. Wasn’t overly serious or gritty for the sake of gritty versus having substance) of the previous DCEU flicks whilst being true to her iconic character. That’s a bit of a Herculean border-lining on unfair request, I know. But, if DC Comics/Warner Bros. did screw up Wonder Woman, I’d never give another cent towards anything in the DCEU because she’s one of my all-time favorite comic book heroes. I can’t begin to picture myself being forgiving of such a possible butchering combined with history in the making!

My introduction to Wonder Woman was through Super Friends, a series I never gained any enjoyment from viewing. Not due to her, simply all in all. To the point that for a long time I didn’t recall I’d ever seen it besides some Cartoon Network gag featuring said cartoon with Brainiac and Solomon Grundy complaining about not having pants. By the early 90s, I had finally read my first comic book story arc (The Death of Superman my sister’s boyfriend owned) which is ironic since he’s one of my most loathed heroes, yet his supporting cast and villains were and remain fantastic in my eyes to this very day. I learned about the DC Comics trinity and Marvel Comics as I devoured episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series, and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. I’ve always had an affinity for superheroes, the varied powers with rad animation/visuals, numerous art styles, varied characters, costumes (unless objectifying, particularly on the women, I’ve never grasped this society standard), themes, subtexts, and etc. I was less influenced by solely the likes of Batman and Spider-Man, no, Princess/Senator Leia Organa, Buffy Anne Summers, Sarah Jeanette Connor, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, The Secret of NIMH’s Mrs. Brisby, Aliens’ Ellen Ripley, Ferngully’s Krista, Fa Mulan, Belle, Jasmine, Lady Kluck, Inspector Gadget’s Penny, S: TAS’s Lois Lane, X-Men’s Storm/Ororo Munroe, Xena, Widow Tweed, Maleficient, Andrea Beaumont, The Brave Little Toaster’s Toaster, Lisa Simpson, Daria, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s April O’Neil, and The Powerpuff Girls left a bigger impact on me. Bear in mind I think my feminist, equality for all, diversity, and embracing individuality stances confuse or vex my family the majority of the the time: no one’s officially said this, probably there under the surface though.

Then DCAU’s Justice League premiered and Wonder Woman got some spotlight as the other two members of the Trinity did a decade ago. Alas the time limit structure and sharing the limelight wasn’t enough for Wonder Woman tales most of the time. A fish out of water warrior learning about the world of men that wouldn’t put up with crap while practicing compassion/love (even to her enemies)? YES! This compassion is a double edged sword, serving as both a strength and a weakness for the Amazon from Themyscira. The established core of her character lends itself to some daring storytelling. Justice League and its sequel show Unlimited gave us some great moments with Wonder Woman. Naturally, adoring what the character stood for prompted me to locate comics of her past adventures at my local libraries. Stories by William Moulton Marston, Gail Simone, Jodi Picoult, Greg Rucka, Kurt Busiek, Joe Kelly, Trina Robbins, Darwyn Cooke, Meredith Finch, Nicola Scott, Aaron Loprestri, Phil Jimenez, and George Perez, made my fondness and appreciation towards the character grew. 

While Brian Azzarello did the opposite towards the character and Amazons in general. *GLARES*

Ever since the 90s which gave us animated shows for both Batman and Superman yet shafted Wonder Woman from the same treatment, I've wanted this movie. Sure, she was in the DCAU Justice League and Unlimited series alongside her first full-length feature in 2009's Wonder Woman followed by little screentime in Young Justice (when juxtaposed against Batman’s position) and a Lego Movie cameo role: still that's not quite the same is it?

Wonder Woman’s 2009 standalone DCAU movie remains one of my most beloved since the DCAU was initially formed and was the directorial debut (by herself, no co-director credit like with Superman: Doomsday) of animation director and storyboard artist Lauren Eve Montgomery best known for her storyboard on work on Avatar: The Last Airbender and Justice League Unlimited. It was penned by comic book legend Gail Simone and Michael Jelenic. In celebration of Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, a commemorative edition of 2009’s Wonder Woman with a cover that unfortunately has antagonist Ares on it was recently released with many special features and I’m tempted to re-pick it up (which is something I don’t normally do for any DVD/Bluray I already possess). Wonder Woman got a cameo role in 2014′s The Lego Movie, it was minuscule and added little though, siiiiigh. 

The lasting ramifications of a positively reviewed and liked Wonder Woman by critics and audiences alike are potentially revolutionary. Wonder Woman, is the first superhero female lead motion picture since 2005’s Elektra (it has taken 12 years) with a budget over $100 million under the hand of a female director. 1995’s Tank Girl starring Lori Petty was directed by a woman (Rachel Talalay) except it had a significantly less money to work with comparatively: I did a whole critique/analysis of it before on here. The last superhero motion picture directed by a woman was in fact 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, courtesy of equal pay in Tinseltown advocate Lexi Alexander, that was originally a box office bomb like Tank Girl that has also gained a cult movie status. Meaning, the track record of female-led superhero flicks hasn’t been good and studios (Marvel! Argh…) keep circling back to this to justify Doctor Strange, Black Panther, another Thor sequel, plus another Guardians of the Galaxy before 2019’s Captain Marvel and the in development hell/non-existent (?) Black Widow hit theatres someday.

In this regard, DC Comics, Warner Bros., Zack Snyder, and Geoff Johns, believing in Wonder Woman is unusual and refreshing. How well it does could craft a new future for superhero franchises! A planned Harley Quinn spin-off, a character actor Margot Robbie played close to on fleek in Suicide Squad, that has a writer attached which may or may not have the Birds of Prey/Batgirl in it is equally encouraging. The Hollywood superhero landscape might mirror what I’ve always longed for after the overall reception to 1999’s Blade, 2001’s X-Men, and 2002’s Spider-Man placed comic book adaptations in a mainstay pop culture position: a mixture of female, male, and LGBT heroes getting their chance to shine from a sundry of backgrounds, cultures, religions, and more. Essentially, an exceedingly more balanced reflection of the world we live in that’s been severely lacking forever, ugh.

May Wonder Woman demolish the longstanding myth that female superhero leads don’t sell thanks to its advertising campaigns, writing, acting, editing, visuals, and directing this weekend. That’s my wish. I’ll be checking it out on either Thursday or Friday with one of my nieces. I promised a year and half ago that I’d see it with her. I distinctly remember sitting through previews before the last Hunger Games and her transfixed reaction to that Wonder Woman teaser appearing onscreen. She was psyched. I was psyched! My vow will be fulfilled in the coming days. Of course I want to share this experience with her. It could be wholly transformative. The trailers bring merry tears to my eyes, so, what will the entire thing do to me? To her? Something wondrous (...Sorry) I am hoping. ;’) 

Link to Tank Girl: http://thechurchillreview.tumblr.com/post/154552289293/52filmsbywomen-rachel-talalay-just-saw-tank-girl