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| Secret Wars Battleworld Siege #1 |
© The Weirding, 2015
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Taking My Time with Daredevil
I have started to rebel against binge-watching. I like binge-watching and I binge-watch plenty of things but there are some programs that, for whatever reason, I want to draw out and spend some time with. Daredevil is one of those shows.
Daredevil is one of my favorite superheroes, as it was one of the first titles I grew-up reading. My collection of Daredevil comics is mildly impressive. I know a lot about the character and consider some of the stories classics in pop-culture, if not popular literature. I was one of the few who enjoyed the original Daredevil movie, although I admit that much of that likely stems directly from fanboyism. So I really want to enjoy this new series.
Having watched the first few episodes, I can safely say that I do enjoy it. I have some issues with a few things, such as the lack and misuse of a score and three-minute fight scenes, but I am enjoying it. However, Daredevil fell prey to the problem I have with binge-watching, which is that I watched enough episodes back-to-back to start catching the pattern, or formula, to the episodes. All series either start with or develop a formula, and this is not necessarily a bad thing - even classic TV series like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents had a formula - but once you see enough of them, they become predictable or you simply grow tired of them.
The Twilight Zone is a good example, as many of the episodes are considered classics in their own right, but long-time fans of the show know that most episodes follow a similar narrative path and use similar themes. With The Twilight Zone, viewers are rarely able to predict the outcome of a story but they are aware of the methods employed to tell it - the tropes of the series. Fans even know to expect a twist-ending, so the tropes of the show actually set viewer expectations.
This superhero TV and movie trend is going on 15 years old now. I haven't seen a whole lot of adaptations that I truly loved - most of them have been rather forgettable - and they have all looked the same to me for a while now. Daredevil is a great character with a strong theme and origin, large supporting cast, and decent rogue's gallery who deserves a decent TV series. I'm just worried that it's late to the game.
I read somewhere that Daredevil started out as a procedural and you can tell. I'm not a fan of procedurals and I've read the Daredevil vs. Kingpin story at least a half-dozen times since Frank Miller made it famous in the 1980s. While it's the iconic Daredevil story, it's been told - and rehashed - already. I desperately want to like this show, so I'm limiting my intake to one episode every few days instead of binge-watching so I'm not focused on the negative.
What I'd really like to see is what the comic book itself used to deliver: Some over-arcing storylines and character development but a fair amount of self-contained episodes. Daredevil's formula used to be pretty straightforward, starting with a lead from a client, leading to Murdock becoming somehow personally involved in the case (usually morally), then to a larger conspiracy involving some type of organized criminal activity. Murdock would intimidate witnesses and gain information about higher-level bosses who usually wound-up being supervillains or in some supervillain's employ. Not everything lead to Wilson Fisk, who was originally one of Spidey's rogues, and Daredevil closed more than a few cases in a single issue or two. Daredevil deserves what all these iconic comic book superheroes do from a show: An opportunity to tell original Daredevil stories on TV, not to rehash his origin story.
I'm happy new fans get to learn the background but I hope future seasons introduce new villains, characters, and situations that are unique to television or at least told uniquely from its perspective.
© The Weirding, 2015
Daredevil is one of my favorite superheroes, as it was one of the first titles I grew-up reading. My collection of Daredevil comics is mildly impressive. I know a lot about the character and consider some of the stories classics in pop-culture, if not popular literature. I was one of the few who enjoyed the original Daredevil movie, although I admit that much of that likely stems directly from fanboyism. So I really want to enjoy this new series.
Having watched the first few episodes, I can safely say that I do enjoy it. I have some issues with a few things, such as the lack and misuse of a score and three-minute fight scenes, but I am enjoying it. However, Daredevil fell prey to the problem I have with binge-watching, which is that I watched enough episodes back-to-back to start catching the pattern, or formula, to the episodes. All series either start with or develop a formula, and this is not necessarily a bad thing - even classic TV series like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents had a formula - but once you see enough of them, they become predictable or you simply grow tired of them.
The Twilight Zone is a good example, as many of the episodes are considered classics in their own right, but long-time fans of the show know that most episodes follow a similar narrative path and use similar themes. With The Twilight Zone, viewers are rarely able to predict the outcome of a story but they are aware of the methods employed to tell it - the tropes of the series. Fans even know to expect a twist-ending, so the tropes of the show actually set viewer expectations.
This superhero TV and movie trend is going on 15 years old now. I haven't seen a whole lot of adaptations that I truly loved - most of them have been rather forgettable - and they have all looked the same to me for a while now. Daredevil is a great character with a strong theme and origin, large supporting cast, and decent rogue's gallery who deserves a decent TV series. I'm just worried that it's late to the game.
I read somewhere that Daredevil started out as a procedural and you can tell. I'm not a fan of procedurals and I've read the Daredevil vs. Kingpin story at least a half-dozen times since Frank Miller made it famous in the 1980s. While it's the iconic Daredevil story, it's been told - and rehashed - already. I desperately want to like this show, so I'm limiting my intake to one episode every few days instead of binge-watching so I'm not focused on the negative.
What I'd really like to see is what the comic book itself used to deliver: Some over-arcing storylines and character development but a fair amount of self-contained episodes. Daredevil's formula used to be pretty straightforward, starting with a lead from a client, leading to Murdock becoming somehow personally involved in the case (usually morally), then to a larger conspiracy involving some type of organized criminal activity. Murdock would intimidate witnesses and gain information about higher-level bosses who usually wound-up being supervillains or in some supervillain's employ. Not everything lead to Wilson Fisk, who was originally one of Spidey's rogues, and Daredevil closed more than a few cases in a single issue or two. Daredevil deserves what all these iconic comic book superheroes do from a show: An opportunity to tell original Daredevil stories on TV, not to rehash his origin story.
I'm happy new fans get to learn the background but I hope future seasons introduce new villains, characters, and situations that are unique to television or at least told uniquely from its perspective.
© The Weirding, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
The B-Raters vs. Cheerleader Massacre 2
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| The B-Raters vs. Cheerleader Massacre 2 |
As always, we get started right around 10pm CT (if we aren't on immediately, please wait a few minutes - we usually get on shortly thereafter) and the replay is available shortly after the live event. The B-Raters is LIVE and UNSCRIPTED, so you never know what's going to be said (luckily, none of us plans on running for political office). Like most of the movies we riff, we have never seen Cheerleader Massacre 2 so we don't know what we're in store for any more than you do.
Check us out this Saturday around 10pm CT - The B-Raters vs. Cheerleader Massacre 2!
© The Weirding, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Reviews Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
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| Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt |
For one thing, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt literally never misses an opportunity to make a joke. This would normally be a good thing but most of the jokes Kimmy Schmidt cannot contain are lame and predictable - "That's what she said!" - and too many of the "punchlines" are nothing more than dated pop-cultural references no one under 35 is likely to get. Almost as often, characters just interject absurdities because...
All of the characters are one-dimensional, causing a lot of scenarios to fall flat and make it apparent that the plot is a contrivance for some 30 Rock alumnus to do schtick. In fact, there are an awful lot of similarities to 30 Rock. One of the core cast will never do something stupid because they have a stupid character so, when something stupid needs to happen, he magically appears to handle it. Viewers have no problem determining which stock character is used for what purpose because every one lets the audience know within moments of appearing. If the spoiled brat walks into the shot, something will immediately happen or be said to indicate that she is a spoiled brat - no room for guessing, ever. It's all very formulaic, despite the high concept.
It is also painfully self-aware of this and its many other flaws - it is painfully self-aware at all times, in fact, of everything. The actors wink at the cameras, the characters zing themselves, and the writers remind themselves to stop riffing by way of character.
That being said, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is actually funny on occasion - often enough to make it worth watching - but being released a season at a time did it no favors. Had the episodes gotten a weekly release, the holes probably wouldn't have been so noticeable. Its perky attitude is infectious but can also work against it, as can its popcorn-fire tongue-in-cheekery, so I suggest watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt over the course of several sittings.
© The Weirding, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Thursday, April 09, 2015
The B-Raters Are Off This Weekend
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| The B-Raters vs. Cheerleader Massacre 2 |
If you have never watched The B-Raters, we have plenty of tapings of the live broadcasts available on our YouTube Channel right now. To watch, open the B-Raters video in one window and the movie itself in another, then start the movie according to The Infamous Countdown. You can also watch them side-by-side on the website by following the links provided in this handy Table of Contents.
While you are there, be sure to bookmark and follow The B-Raters blog, featuring promotional materials, write-ups on the movies, biographies of luminaries in the field, and much more.
The B-Raters vs. returns on the 18th with Cheerleader Massacre 2. If you haven't tried us, you should - we're actually funny!
© The Weirding, 2015
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
Monday, April 06, 2015
Ashdown Amps
I have never personally heard ashdown amps but they certainly look nice. The price may be a bit prohibitive for some but you do tend to get what you pay for and there are several models to choose from. Amplifiers can make all the difference when it comes to sound, despite the fact that most musicians seem to think the instrument itself is more important (as a drummer, I do not use amplifiers, so I do not know for myself). Some amps sound cleaner than others, while other amplifiers lend a grungy, crunchy sound. Pedals and other effects also play a large part.
Friday, April 03, 2015
Thursday, April 02, 2015
Wednesday, April 01, 2015
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