FormerlyDoh11

The original Creed had no right to be as good as it was on paper. Rocky had been laid to rest in 2006's Rocky Balboa beautifully. While the film could have been better directed, there was no denying Sylvester Stallone's passion for the character had been reinvigorated and he made a film that did what every Rocky movie should do- inspire its audience (and it revitalized his career). The abomination that was Rocky V was redeemed and the character was allowed to exit with the grace that was robbed by making two sequels too many in IV (albeit a guilty pleasure) and V (a movie that has maybe two good scenes in it).

Enter Ryan Coogler, the fantastic filmmaker behind the brutal Fruitvale Station and its star, Michael B. Jordan.

Coogler took a premise about Apollo Creed's son and somehow made it work. What sounded like scraping the bottom of the barrel turned out to be anything but. Stallone delivered an Oscar caliber performance, the movie was well paced and its characters were worth rooting for. There were classic legacy sequel pitfalls in the sense that it riffed too much on the original film's structure, but it did it with such enthusiasm that it justified its existence and then some.

There was no reason to milk it, but when there's money to be made, enter Hollywood.

Creed II was a big step down, no longer being guided by Coogler's steady hand. But it still put Adonis through hell, coaxed a solid performance from Stallone and actually somehow humanized walking catch phrase Ivan Drago.

It was still very silly though (do we really need to see Ivan Drago's son or Ivan Drago himself?) and I didn't need it after the complete journey I felt like I took with Rocky and Adonis in the first one.

With how Creed II ended, there was no reason to continue. Rocky's story reached a happy conclusion, Adonis was on top, what else is there to say?

The third time is far from the charm here. Adonis is at the end of his boxing career but an old friend (Damian) from the past has been released from prison and wants a shot at the title.

As kids, Damian was arrested during a street brawl incited by Adonis recognizing a man who was abusive to him and Damian at their group home. Adonis was able to escape when the police showed up, Damian couldn't, and Damian went away for 18 years.

This is a perfectly fine premise and there's a chance for an emotional connection to be struck, but that never seems to happen.

Jordan and Johnathan Majors seem to have the same conversation in almost every scene they're in. There's no chance for subterfuge given, no feeling of shared history between the characters either with the exception of the regurgitated dialogue.

The film lacks an emotional heartbeat and doesn't develop the characters outside of having them exposit at each other. We don't get to see them suffer at the hands of Leon the abuser to really understand their strife. It has to be told to us.

A prologue opens the film and you have no idea why Donny attacks Leon in the prologue until much later into the movie. We don't get a chance to live and breathe with the characters and take in their friendship because of the story's slapdash structure around its central conflict.

A better approach would have been having the prologue last twenty minutes or so and really get to understand the dynamic of the characters and why Leon is such a horrible person. Without this, the film just feels really hollow.

The structure of the present day plot is predictable and a subplot involving Adonis' daughter wanting to be fighter is underdeveloped and has nothing to do with the main story (it also includes an unintentionally hilarious scene in which she punches another student after said student tears her drawing in half in such a deliberate, ridiculous way). On its own, this idea could have been interesting, but it just feels like filler material. It could have explored the depths of Adonis and his family, but that would have been taking a chance which we can't do in a picture such as this.

Donny's motivations are lacking, too. He's so passive and reactive. He doesn't really seem to want anything. At least Damian has a clear goal and motivations. Adonis doesn't want to do anything except be a promoter which isn't driving the plot at all and isn't that interesting for the protagonist of a film.

Creed III's boxing scenes are ok, but lack the realism and brutality of the way Coogler staged the action or the gritty pulp heroism that John G. Avildsen staged in Rocky or Stallone portrayed in Rocky II, III and Rocky Balboa.

This is a film that has an underdeveloped plot with decent performances that just feels like its going through the motions. The original Creed got away with murder, Creed III doesn't come close to pulling the trigger.

Color me shocked to see this episode has nearly a 10/10 rating here on IMDB.

The episode opens brilliantly, with Barry being forced to confront Ronny, whom Detective Loach wants killed because he's in a relationship with his ex-wife. Having caught Barry confessing to a myriad of crimes at the end of the previous episode (including killing Moss), Loach uses this as blackmail to force Barry to kill Ronny.

The episode opens patiently with a brilliant contrast between Ronny's casual entrance to his home, and the tension we feel as an audience knowing that Barry has to kill this guy and is probably waiting for him.

Barry, always trying to turn over a new leaf despite it being impossible, tries to get Ronny to get out of town for a year as opposed to killing him. Ronny causally agrees.

While Ronny is packing, we learn that he's a Tae Kwon Do champion all but confirming to the audience that there will be a confrontation and Barry is in deep shi**.

When the tension reaches a boiling point, Ronny strikes and the fight between him and Barry is very well executed. It's intense, comedic and extremely well choreographed and directed. There's also a sense of real stakes at play during this scene, too. Every move is desperate from Ronny's end and Barry is doing everything he can not to kill this guy, creating conflict within conflict, as Barry also has to fight for his life without doing what he does best, be a killer. It's a wonderful struggle of external and internal for the Barry character and it's just a really entertaining scene.

But everything that happens after that slowly becomes devoid of logic. This show has always tried to balance seriousness with absurdity with mixed results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The initial Ronny vs. Barry fight captures this collection of moods as well as you can do it because the decisions made by the characters make sense. The majority of the rest of the episode forgets this inherent golden rule of storytelling.

Enter Lily, Ronny's pre-teen daughter after Ronny's been knocked unconscious, who is also an exceptional Tae Kwon Do martial artist (which makes sense given her Father's prowess). And this actress truly kicks ass with a lot of practical stunt work. Her fight with Barry gets a little ridiculous when she's jumping off of the floor to attack Barry, doing her best Shu Lien imitation (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and that's the tipping point for when things devolve into the absurd.

After stabbing Barry and Barry being absolutely freaked out at her seemingly inhuman abilities, she leaves with the upper hand, presumably to go to the police or a neighbor for help.

Nope. She spends the rest of her time climbing trees to evade Fuches like a simian, sitting on top of her house after climbing said tree for hours, stalking Barry and Fuches, biting Fuches' face and running away. The whole time, Barry and Fuches marvel at her over the top antics all the while Fuches wants Barry to kill her and Barry doesn't. That part of the conflict is fine, but everything Lily does makes no sense from her character's standpoint.

Why keep stalking these guys? Why not get help for your father and yourself? She literally sits on top of her house for hours. No one is going to look out their window and wonder what the hell is going on? She can't call out for help even if she doesn't have a phone? The biggest gap in logic is that in the time between when she leaves Barry and when Fuches and Barry find her again, she could have easily gone to a neighbor's house for help. It's just too silly. Disbelief can only be suspended so much, even for a comedy series that also likes be dramatic. I can't take it seriously, not in the sense that I don't see the inherent comedy in a little girl being a freak of nature, but I don't see the logic in the character's decisions. The freak of nature bit comes at the expense of the character making stupid decisions for the sake of comedy as opposed to what someone would actually do in this situation, which betrays what should be the character's obvious motivation and decisions.

It gets even more ridiculous when Fuches and Barry are at a grocery store later in the episode. Of course, Barry runs into Ronny again fitted with a neck brace. Why the hell hasn't this guy gone to the police to report Barry, or why isn't he looking for his daughter? Why is he at a grocery store?

I'm going to describe the rest of the episode and let it speak for itself.

Barry and Ronny fight again and of course Loche Dues Ex Machina's his way into the conflict and shoots Ronny in the face. Loche is about to shoot Barry to tie up loose ends but inexplicably misses the first shot despite being maybe five feet away from him. Ronny then gets up and kicks Loche to death. Ronny is shot by four or five police officers in another Deus Ex Machina moment and Barry runs away.

Fuches, in a panic, sees Barry and Ronny fighting and backs out of his parking spot and into a police car and appears to be stuck. But when Barry finds Fuches outside, he's pulled to the side of the grocery store with no repercussion for what happened despite the fact that five minutes or so have passed since he hit the cop car. The police have swarmed the grocery store, but the cop that Fuches hit I guess forgot about him.

This episode is ridiculous and makes you ask all the wrong questions about Ronny and Lily after their initial encounter with Barry.

There's a decent emotional theme with Barry passing out a couple of times due to blood loss where he imagines military veterans seeing loved ones in the opposite side of a field. Barry sees Fuches, obscured by a crowd in the middle of the field, indicating like we all know, Fuches is bad for Barry, but he can't seem to get away from him.

Barry is confronted by this emotional turmoil again in the real world by seeing Fuches outside of the grocery store, left to decide if he should keep making his deal with the devil.

That's fine, but the rest of the story isn't in my opinion. It's entertaining, but when you break down what's actually happening story and character-wise, this episode becomes increasingly frustrating. It's my least favorite episode of Barry thus far and the world's favorite. How's that for contrast?

Clerks III is a strange beast. At times hilarious, at times monotonous, at times cringe inducing, at times dramatic, it's the ultimate mixed bag of a movie.

Kevin Smith's output since 2010 (and this is coming from someone who is a big fan of his) has been largely disappointing. His wit and humor that was razor sharp in the 90's-mid 2000's seemed to dissipate in the latter portion of his career.

So color me absolutely smitten when the first 20 minutes felt like vintage Smith. Randal, Dante, Elias, Jay and Silent Bob were back and felt like they never left. It felt like classic Clerks at the beginning of the film, as we listened to these people we know so well at this point resume their well honed and endlessly entertaining and very silly interactions.

Even Randal's heart attack (well known at this point from the trailers and Smith's various interviews before the film came out) is handled well as is Elias and Dante in the waiting room awaiting news on their friend.

The film takes a turn for the worse however when Randal, finding a new lease on life, decides to make a movie based on his life and it's basically an excuse to reshoot scenes from the original film with the actors as they are today. I like that Randal wants to make the most of his life, I just wish he would have done something else that was more original.

Most of the middle chapter of the movie is montage after montage of scenes as we know them, or behind the scenes commentary (that if you're familiar with the Clerks. Story is practically just a retelling of how decisions were made- like shooting in black and white, Jay not wanting to dance with anyone else around, etc.) with zero changes to them (other than the occasional remark on the situation from a character that's hit or miss).

This part of the film when they're recreating scenes or talking about the movie are boring and add nothing but fan/self indulgence for Smith to riff on his indie masterwork through extremely rose tinted nostalgic glasses.

However, there is a tense beating heart in Clerks III and there is an emotional subtext that is well set up before they start shooting the movie and when they finish shooting the movie that I wish would have been touched on more while they were actually making Randal's movie.

A brilliant scene in particular comes when Dante and Randal are shooting the salsa shark scene where Dante's real life struggles (which are a massive part of this film) come bubbling to the surface in the scene they're recreating. It's such a smart way to create conflict that it makes you angry that not more was done to capitalize on the opportunity Smith absolutely nails in this scene.

It's probably the most dramatic scene Smith has shot since the jail scene from Clerks II (and is not nearly as long), and it had me on the edge of my seat watching Brian O'Halloran's Dante just come unraveled in a tense confrontation with Randal.

Had there been more scenes like this where the character's real lives could have intersected more with the shooting of Randal's movie, Smith could have a meta classic on his hands.

Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Jason Mewes and Smith ease back into their roles as if they never left them. They've never been great actors, but they know these roles and there's no drop off in their performance from prior films (save for a couple of scenes with O'Halloran which I'll get to). For fans, it's a pleasure seeing the boys in action when the scenes are the characters actually interacting and not either talking about or recreating scenes from Clerks.

A subplot with Dante and wife Becky (Rosario Dawson) isn't handled well until the end of the film with O'Halloran's acting feeling contrived instead of heartfelt. In terms of original material, it's one of the few parts of the film that didn't work for me.

But the film does pack a powerful punch by the end of it (minus a self indulgent last couple of minutes). This is definitely Smith's darkest work in the Viewaskweniverse and the definitive ending of the Clerks films and it's actually touching even if it's incredibly depressing in some respects. It's a much more true to life ending in the vein of the original film as opposed to the fairytale ending of Clerks II (minus the ironically dark last shot of that film).

Smith does have great things to say about making the most with the time that's given to you and about friendship, but it gets too bogged down with self indulgence which is a shame because the potential was there for this to be up there with the "classic" Kevin Smith films.

While folks have ranted and raved about how good last week's episode was, the heart of Better Call Saul has always been Jimmy and Kim, and this episode puts them front and center in compelling fashion.

Combining the show's superb sense of drama and comedy and paying off the pratfalls of Jimmy and Kim's past and current actions is done exceedingly well this week.

There's very little of the cartel and the less of that, the better unless the storylines intertwine; and intertwined they did in an understated, yet effective manner.

The chain that portends is swinging evermore into darkness and this episode does a great job of extending it a little lower with exemplary writing, direction and performances. Kudos to Rhea Seehorn (Kim) for also directing the heck out of this episode.

This episode plays more like an hour of Sopranos or Mad Men. A slow burn pace that stands alone but also sets the table brilliantly for what's to come without relying on any gimmickry, action or twists.

***includes mild spoilers***

The hype has been real. The final showdown between Maul and Obi Wan Kenobi is finally at hand.

The first three quarters of the episode is Rebels at its best. After hearing rumblings from the holocron in Kanan's room, seeing the recording of Obi Wan after Order 66 and also hearing Maul's voice, Ezra decides to try and find Obi Wan to help him in his impending confrontation with Maul. But in reality, Maul is subtly (to Ezra) manipulating him to draw Kenobi out of hiding.

Hera warns Ezra that he shouldn't leave, and that he is too valuable in the plan to liberate Lothal. Ezra lies to her, saying he'll stay, but later departs for the desert planet.

From there, Ezra arrives on Tattooine and a desperate fight for survival for Ezra ensues as the path to finding Obi Wan is the equivalency of finding a needle in a desert haystack.

The episode does a good job of reestablishing Maul's madness with a fine monologue from Maul as he wanders through the desert, searching for Kenobi. The story is well told, too. We see Maul and Ezra struggle through the unforgiving and brutal conditions. Be it from the native inhabitants, the elements itself, or their own mental detriments, this portion of the episode is incredibly well done by co-writer/director Dave Filoni and co-writer Henry GIlroy.

Obi Wan is perfectly voiced by Stephen Stanton. His Alec Guiness Obi Wan performance is 1:1. There really is no difference here between Stanton and Guiness. It's quite impeccable and brings a sense of authenticity to the character. Obi Wan is also perfectly written. Every word he says is perfectly aligned with his mannerisms and diction from the original trilogy.

The final showdown, however, is actually perfectly done. I initially wanted (and you expect) a more drawn out fight, but the way Filoni shoots the action is Kurasowa-esque and while may you would have liked to see Obi-Wan actually impale Maul, you realize the actual battle was their interplay before the fight, and the fight is simply the epilogue. Take off your fan boy goggles and you realize this is the only way this fight could have been resolved.

The resolution for Ezra is more of a disappointment and is entirely unjustified given Hera's instruction. Her reaction upon his return is not in character and is disappointing from a story standpoint, as is the rest of the Ghost crew's reaction. It makes her statement in the show's first act null, as there is no consequence to Ezra's unsanctioned departure that surely put planning for the liberation of Lothal at risk.

Really, it's the resolution of Ezra's part of the story here that keeps this episode from being among the masterful that have been delivered in the Clone Wars/Rebels era, however, it comes really, really close and gives Darth Maul a proper coda that the too soon dispatched character most certainly deserved.

There is much hype around The Martian. Ridley Scott, Matt Damon and a dynamite supporting cast that features a story about a man trying to survive on Mars armed only with his intellect and will.

When I heard this, I thought the picture would be similar tonally to Cast Away. An unforgiving environment, brutal conditions, desperation and watching a character grow in order to survive his ordeal.

Instead, Damon is cool under fire the entire time. There is never any sense of desperation, change or arc to speak of (at least that is significant). When things go wrong, they're easily fixed and the tone of this picture is inconsistent with its scenario.

Jokes abound. Whether it's from NASA on Earth, Damon's crew that left him behind or Damon himself, they just keep on rolling with what feels like a three jokes a minute standard screenplay formula in a movie about a man trapped on Mars!

It just doesn't work. It's not bad. The performances are fine, Scott's direction is fine, the writing is fine and it's technically fine. But that's about it. No risks or ingenuity, no real heart or emotion. No stakes. It takes about as unique a scenario as you could conjure and makes it flat, predictable and tonally inconsistent.

Humor here and there is fine, but Drew Goddard's effusive use of humor is tiresome and takes you out of the film.

No characters are really developed here and you sort of just wait around for the inevitable conclusion of the picture. Maybe this would have worked better as a short.

With the last two years, two incredible space pictures (especially technically speaking: Gravity and Interstellar) came out and did some bombastic things. Each had fast moving stories, top notch special effects and were unpredictable in their conclusion. They had their main characters grow and place them in diverse scenarios that kept the tension high at all times. There was a sense of danger regardless of their shortcomings (Interstellar's ending and Gravity's Sandra Bullock).

In this film there's none of that. While the solutions Damon's character comes up with are smart, you don't get a dramatic sense of struggle throughout the film. Lack of struggle equals decreased tension.

I'm not sure why this movie is so revered by movie goers and critics. I feel left out. Maybe it was just my expectations and wanting to see the movie I wish it could have been that left me feeling cold. Still, a tensionless film with such a good cast and crew is a terrible thing to waste.

6/10- Average.

***INCLUDES MILD SPOILERS***

I've watched this episode many times, but it's been a few years. After FXX's marathon happened it got me back into the show, but I missed this one during the 12 day bonanza. So I fired up the old DVD and put on this episode.

It's better than I remembered. This is quite possibly one of the most perfect episodes of television ever created.

It's perfectly paced, the gags are great, the story is honest and emotional and all the characters involve truly shine here.

After embarrassing himself and Marge at a movie which results in Marge yelling at him, Homer drops the family off at home and happens upon a country bar. He meets Lurleen Lumpkin, a waitress who sings a song that truly speaks to him.

He winds up becoming her manager and what ensues is temptation and potential infidelity on Homer's part.

The Simpsons has always done a brilliant job with this subject and approaches these situations very carefully with a lot of heart and real humanity with characters struggling to understand how they really feel. It's very easy to identify with the three characters who are at the forefront of the episode.

You understand why Lurleen is attracted to Homer, and it feels legitimate and earned. You understand why Homer is torn between Lurleen and what seems like fading feelings for Marge. You understand Marge's heartbreak and Julie Kavner nails her performance of a wife afraid of losing her husband.

It's heavy subject material, but the episode isn't without its moments of levity which play as well as any gag in the history of the show.

One scene in particular in which Lurleen expresses her true feelings for Homer is captured perfectly with brilliant shot selection and an absolutely moving score by Alf Clausen, an arrangement that accompanies Lurleen's song, "Bunk with me Tonight".

This episode is the epitome of what makes the Simpsons, the Simpsons. With top tier writing, acting, animation and direction it may possibly supersede every episode that came before it or after it in the show's overblown lexicon of episodes.

Boardwalk Empire's first two seasons were tremendous. Following in the footsteps of the show in which he made his bones, (The Sopranos) creator Terrence Winter brought us to early 20th century Atlantic City. He presented us captivating characters such as Nucky Thompson, Margaret Schroeder, Nelson Van Alden, Arnold Rothstein, Richard Harrow and so many more.

***Some mild spoilers***

Now four years removed from its first season, what does Boardwalk have to show for itself? An ever expanding universe that has gotten as far away from the Boardwalk as possible and that has jumped seven years into the future from season 4.

Performances are still fantastic, the sets are incredible, the direction and cinematography are some of the finest in television (or film for that matter). The problem is now that the stories don't seem to be going anywhere. Nucky is once again sleepwalking in life without any of his former foils (Jimmy, Eddie, Gyp, Eli, Chalky, the Commodore) to stir their proverbial drinks. His motivations (to sell rum from Cuba) isn't captivating at all and there really is no clear and present conflict to what he is doing anymore. Things are lurking in the shadows, but all Nucky has now is Sally (they're just business associates now), who doesn't have the sensitivity of Nucky's former squeeze Margaret, or the dripping sexuality and intrigue of Billie Kent.

Nucky's world has been dull since season 4 for the most part, and it doesn't look like it's going to be any different this year, at least thus far.

There are also flashbacks that show Nucky's rise into becoming the Commodore's protégé, but this Godfather II homage (The Godfather series is counted as some of the most influential works that Winter has paid homage to throughout his career) that juxtaposes young Nucky and present Nucky doesn't really do much to give us new insight into the character. The events seen here give us knowledge that has already been told to us in prior seasons. In short, this regurgitation feels unearned and unnecessary.

The only interesting part of this episode was Chalky's storyline. Now a prisoner, Chalky was put through an emotional hell last year and is now an inmate. This part of the story was interesting and mysterious, and it appears that Chalky may have the majority of the tasty meat to chew this season as he did last season.

The rest of the episode isn't worth mentioning from a story standpoint, just know that we get to check in with Margaret who is still entirely unnecessary since the end of season 3. We also get to see Lucky Luciano's ascension in the mafia, which once again, seems to have little to do with Nucky. Although, it seems like it will be linked to Nucky somehow if he ever gets back to Atlantic City.

I will say this, I have been watching director Tim Van Patten's work for 15 years in television. He's one of my favorite directors in the business and I can say without a doubt, that this is his finest job directing from a technical standpoint in the history of his career.

The shot selection is brilliant. Every shot is gorgeously presented and the performances and crispness of the editing is equally impressive. If you're not a fan of Boardwalk, you should watch this just to see the technical brilliance on display in this episode.

Kudos to him and cinematographer Jonathan Freeman for shooting the best looking episode of TV since Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias".

So, long story short: a slow and rather dull story for Nucky, interesting and mysterious material for Chalky and masterful technical craftsmanship.

Grade: 7/10

Six years later, The Dark Knight ranks as one of the better films in the last decade, and most definitely, an elite blockbuster picture.

Picking up a few months after Batman Begins, Batman himself is looking to pass on his mantle. He wants Gotham to have an identifiable hero, and that hero is Harvey Dent, the new D.A. who is taking the city by storm. He is just, smart and does anything to bag his man.

Bruce Wayne can see that Dent is a man who can be trusted, and a man who can lead Gotham to a brighter future that he never could.

That's all turned on its head with the appearance of the Joker, a man whose goal is to create chaos and anarchy. He doesn't want this because of revenge, he isn't some bland one note character either. He wants to create new world order just to do it. This makes him all the more terrifying. He is a true psychopath with no real emotional weakness or ties that can bring him down. He's smart, calculating and begins to align himself with Gotham's mob scene to make the entire city his three ring circus of destruction.

His plots to bring Gotham to its knees are genuinely horrifying, and he uses many of the principal characters in the cast to execute his plans which makes us feel pain for the characters we like and for the city they are trying to protect. It wouldn't matter if he was just going around killing random Gothamites, everything Joker does impacts the core characters of Wayne and Dent in a major way.

While loads of praise has been heaped upon Heath Ledger's terrific performance as the Joker, many people let that overshadow just how great of a movie this is independently of Ledger.

Sure, Ledger's Joke is the driving force of the film and instigates utter chaos on screen in ways that weren't thought possible in a mere comic book film. His performance is chilling, maniacal, plotting and above all things, he is an actor in complete command of the character and his performance.

The rest of the movie that is constructed around the plot unfolds like layers of an onion. Typical tropes such as saving the damsel in distress and the inability to corrupt heroic archetypes are turned on their heads, and then said heads are cut cleanly off.

The dialog is crisp and mostly devoid of annoying and tedious one liners. There is a great sense of danger in every action scene and you realize that any character can be killed at any time as the utter chaos unleashed by the Joker is felt throughout the film.

It's unnerving and unconventional. The Dark Knight is a brooding film, and you feel it's energy and power in every frame of Wally Pfister's cinematography under the brilliant eye of director Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight is grounded in gritty reality, and that grit elevates it above its competition because of how well its executed.

The effects are all practical (for the most part), where there is CGI, it's seamless. The characters' motivations are all realistic and understandable. These characters feel real, thusly connecting you with them. There is more emotional power in one scene of Nolan's film than in any other contemporary comic book picture.

Performances by Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne is impressive, as is his emotional foil Alfred, played with grace and panache by the venerable Michael Caine. Aaron Eckhart does a great job with Harvey Dent's dark character arc. These three, along with an always fantastic Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman lead an all star cast in the true blockbuster of this generation.

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score accentuate the action perfectly and Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's script is tight, well constructed and moves at a breakneck speed that is so unrelenting that you'll need to catch your breath for a few minutes after your first viewing.

The Dark Knight is peerless as a comic book film, and is one of the best action pictures of its time. Regardless of what you think of action movies or comic book movies, this movie must be experienced by anyone who loves good performances, crisp visuals, great direction and well constructed screenplays.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has one of the strongest first halves of any of the "Marvel Studio Films" to date.

We learn the fate of Peggy Carter (the best female character in the MCU), Captain America's (Chris Evans) old squeeze from the first film and see the effect it has on Cap.

We see Cap struggling to find his purpose in life and questioning the shady SHIELD and Nick Fury (Sameul L. Jackson) at every turn.

There is some good character development of the Nick Fury character that goes beyond "Here's Samuel L. being bad ass" that hasn't been seen before throughout the films. This goes double for Captain America, as Evans proves he can carry a film here.

The first half of the film is a solid blend of action and interesting character development that is tight and well constructed. Having been one of the MCU's hardest critics for its lack of focus on characters and their own personal journeys as opposed to almost every film feeling like a setup for the Avengers, the first half of the film integrates everything very well. Nothing feels like it's building towards something that we'll see three films from now.

Everything feels like its grounded in the present, characters that have been glossed over (Fury, Cap, Black Widow) are actually given time to breathe and grow here, and the action scenes are very well choreographed and and shot.

But then, like so many of the films from Marvel studios, the film collapses under its own weight in the second half.

There are so many story lines that come to fruition throughout the film that it gets ridiculous. The presentation becomes so over the top that any feeling of danger that the characters were in, in the first half of the film, flies out of the window. Conspiracy theories and back stabbings that were quite interesting becomes way too bloated and convoluted for its own good.

The film outstays its welcome in other words and gives us so much to chew on, that as an audience, it's like we've been fed a great appetizer and then been force fed an overdone 38 ounce steak. The flavor is great, but it's just too much to take in.

Robert Redford provides an interesting take on the proceedings in his role as Alexander Pierce, a high ranking member of SHIELD and one of Fury's most trusted comrades.

Technically, the film is well shot and edited. The direction is crisp and as mentioned, the action scenes are very engaging and pulse pounding. Technically, this may be the best Marvel Studios film since the original Iron Man.

Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Jackson carry the film and do a very good job, it's just that once you figure out why everything is transpiring the way it has been, it's almost too ridiculous and far fetched to believe, even for a comic book film.

So once again, a solid first half, and a bloated second half produce another solid, but nothing to write home about Marvel Studios film. While it is miles ahead of Thor 2 and Iron Man 3, writer/directors Joe and Anthony Russo's film is definitely the best Marvel film since the Avengers, and maybe since the first and still king of the MCU, Iron Man.

It's a step in the right direction for a studio that seems to have rested on its laurels in trying to be all about universe building without making me care about the characters in the universe. This really is the first film since the original Iron Man that feels focused on the present and the here and now as opposed to feeling like a setup for another Avengers.

I am interested to see if the third film in the franchise can improve on what was a solid second chapter.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes' story will take the average player only two hours or so to complete. This in and of itself is disappointing, but what this game's purpose is to give you a glimpse of what's to come in the massive 100 hour plus experience that is dropping next year: MGS V: The Phantom Pain.

That being said, Ground Zeroes' very existence is questionable. Why release this game when you have so much more to show us when The Phantom Pain is only another year or so away from being released?

There are also 6 or 7 side missions that are fantastic for the most part, but when you play through Ground Zeroes, you feel like you get an underwhelming experience overall from a story perspective.

But from a game play standpoint, this is arguably the best MGS game to date. CQC has been revamped a bit to function as smoothly and as satisfying as ever. The gun controls are extremely functional and well coded. The design itself of the one level you play in is absolutely massive. The openness of the world leads to the toughest infiltration in any Metal Gear game ever.

Because the level is so open, you have to contend with so much more than just guys walking around. There are also vehicles driving around that monitor the area, and you can even high jack these vehicles as well, a new first for MGS.

The binoculars are for the first time in the series, very useful and not cumbersome to use. Pressing the R2 button on the PS3 brings it up, and allows you to tag enemies so that you know where they are on your radar.

This is extremely helpful for plotting your next move.

The exploration of this finely constructed level is exhilarating. You never know where enemies are going to be, and you have to plot out your next move very carefully. The level is so open, and there are so many ways to explore it, that Ground Zeroes is highly replayable, even if it is short.

The story picks up directly after Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Chico and Paz have been captured by a clandestine special force known as XOF that may or may not have ties to Cipher. At the same time, Mother Base is being inspected by the UN while Big Boss is sent to the base to retrieve his captured companions.

This premise is simple enough and for the most part, it's handled pretty well, particularly the opening cinematic. Kojima continues to step up his filmmaking in many respects. Although he falls way too in love with slow motion that really takes the players out of the moment in the final cutscenes.

What should have been really powerful comes off as cheesy and a bit overextended because of the heavy reliance on slow motion when it wasn't really needed. it takes you out of the action. Kojima has used slow motion at times throughout Metal Gear, but it always felt appropriate. Here, it just feels shoehorned into the presentation and feels incredibly arbitrary.

So the story and presentation, while impressive, are not without their creative faults.

The graphics are incredible. Fans of visuals and hyper realistic textures and lighting should take note here. GZ is one of the best looking games I've ever played. The character models are tremendous, the particle effects and shaders are of the highest quality. The lighting itself is the best lighting I've ever seen in a video game. The tradition of excellence from art director Yoji Shinkawa is in top form here. Although one nitpick would be the blood on the screen when you get shot, looks terrible (why do developers continue to do this?), other than that, this is one of the best looking games ever created.

The voice acting is solid. Keifer Sutherland at times does a good job as Big Boss, particularly in the opening cinematic. But there are times when he seemingly breaks Snake's character and goes into Jack Bauer mode. This only really happens in the final couple of cutscenes, but it will be interesting to see how he fares in Phantom Pain. The jury is still out for me on Sutherland over former Solid Snake and Big Boss VA David Hayter, who is sorely missed.

The rest of the Peace Walker cast is back and they do a very good job. Robert Atkin Downes as Kaz MIller has a few terribly cheesy line deliveries but for the most part does a fine job. Tara Strong as Paz does well and Anthony Del Rio takes Chico into some new and brave territory for the little soldier.

The mysterious antagonist Skull Face (please I hope that's not his real name), sounds like someone out of a bad pornography film. For a character that seems very interesting and is actually well written for the most part, his voice actor makes you not take him as seriously as you want to take him.

The voice acting is a decidedly mixed bag this time around because of some of Sutherland's and Downes performances, as well as the entire performance of Skull Face's James Horan.

The best thing about GZ is that it continues the masterful design doctrine that Kojima introduced in MGS4. Play however you want (action or stealth) and go through a level anyway you want (non linear), but get to the same conclusion.

It's hard not to be excited for Phantom Pain after the taste the Ground Zeroes has given us.

***Spoilers through season 4 episode 7, Mockingbird***

The Mountain and the Viper was one of Game of Thrones' best episodes this season. Every scene moved with purpose, three in particular were heart stopping, all for different reasons.

The Night's Watch receives disturbing news that the Wildlings are closing in on Castle Black, and that it's only a matter of time before they storm the once great castle with an army that greatly outnumbers the Night's Watch forces. This was merely a setup for what is to come next week as it appears that an all out war will commence between the Night's Watch and the Wildlings.

We see the aftermath of the events in the Vale after Littlefinger pushed Lysa Arryn through the moon door.

Sophie Turner turns in her best performance to date, and she's been doing a brilliant job for years. It felt like all the torture and torment she has endured has led to this one moment, and its pay off was tremendous.

Sansa has fully evolved into a different beast in every aspect. From the way she dresses to her motivation, to her candor. Everything about her is heading in an entirely new direction.

A ghost from Ser Jorah's past is revealed and results in he and Dany's best scene since probably the first season. It was a true stunner and tapped once again into what Game of Thrones is all about, the evolution of its characters.

Emilia Clarke and Iain Glen deliver first rate performances as true emotions are revealed and their relationship changes forever. This was every bit as good as any scene in the history of the show.

Ramsay Snow and Theon attempt to take an important castle in what was probably the weakest moment of the episode. Not because it was handled poorly, or anything like that, only because it couldn't match the emotional gravitas of the rest of the episode.

Jaime and Tyrion share one last moment together before the trial by combat commences in which both characters are trying not to think about Tyrion's possible doom, but thinking back to different times in Casterly Rock.

Jaime and Tyrion's scenes have been great this year as the two are reunited for the first time since season 1. This scene caps off what has been a slew of great scenes between Peter Dinklage and Nikolaj Coaster-Waldu. It also perfectly foreshadows the impending fight as Dinklage waxes poetically about the meaning behind death.

Then we get to the long awaited showdown between Oberyn Martell and The Mountain, as Tyrion's fate hangs in the balance.

The fight's choreography is superb, and the emotions of the two characters drive it. Oberyn screaming for the Mountain to confess before he kills him and the Mountain not caring who Oberyn is, he just wants to murder him.

What plays out is one of Thrones' most shocking, disgusting and most powerful moments.

A tremendous scene for a tremendous series. While season 4 has been my least favorite season thus far, this episode reminds us of just what Game of Thrones still has to offer when it's focused, condensed and strikes hard and true.

***Some spoilers through seasons 1-3 and season 4's first episode***

Tonight's episode of Game of Thrones isn't the best episode of the series by a long shot, but the last 15 minutes of the show are some of its most captivating moments.

Like many early episodes of the fantasy series over the last 2 seasons, episode two of the ten episode season takes its time at first. It lays the seeds for what's to come with some plot lines that aren't among the most interesting things going on this season. We get no Dany, Arya or Jon Snow.

Instead we get a healthy dose of Theon and his tormentor, Ramsay Snow along with what's happening with Stannis Baratheon. We get to see Theon, now completely broken because of the events of last season and what that's done to him.

This was somewhat interesting to see and the scenes between Ramsay, his father, Roose and Theon were well acted and photographed. While the torture of Theon in season 3 was overbearing to a point where it stopped and made you think "I get it, move on!", this plot line involving Theon and Ramsay Snow is finally taking its next step. In just two or three scenes, we see how Theon is suffering from the PTSD from season 3, we understand where Ramsay is coming from and we get to see another side of Roose Bolton. This should hopefully lead to something interesting because this plot line last season was one of Thrones' missteps, not in its conception, but in its prolonged and somewhat bloated execution.

One of Thrones' inherent problems despite its greatness, is its density. We return to Dragonstone to see how Melisandre attempts to tighten her noose around the Baratheon family, and is now targeting Stannis' daughter in what feels like an unnecessary step. This covers another plot line that did little last year in Stannis' story, which has seemingly peaked with his failure at the Blackwater.

The rest of the episode revolves around Margery and Joffery's wedding, and also covers Thrones' far more interesting characters, including the Lannisters and Shae.

While Tyrion tries to protect Shae from his father and sister who are close to revealing her identity, it results in one the series' few awkward scenes in which Peter Dinklage and Sebell Kikilli don't mesh well together. While Dinklage more than holds his own, it's Kikilli, whose endearing Shae is stubborn to the point of being cringe worthy. I won't spoil the scene, but what was supposed to be an emotional moment between two great characters comes across as something out of a lesser soap opera.

Meanwhile, we get to return to Bran's plot line, another of season 3's lesser chapters which doesn't become anymore interesting than it was last year. Hopefully this will start to pick up soon, but once again, a lot of seed planting and a catalyst who's pay off we will have to wait another week at least to see where its headed.

But it is the wedding, yes, the wedding that caps off what was a good episode and pushed it over the top. We have had memorable weddings so far in Game of Thrones, and this one is no different.

I always love when Game of Thrones is condensed, and focuses on maybe one-three plot lines in an episode as opposed to jumping around so much that it begins to make your head spin. The last twenty or so minutes of this episode is the epitome of what makes Game of Thrones arguably television's best show currently.

In so many moments where Cersei feels the insecurity and anger of not being queen anymore, to Jack Gleeson playing the spoiled and arrogant Joffrey to a tee, to the masterful Dinklage who commands Tyrion so perfectly in these moments, it was just a joy to watch. Author George R.R. Martin, (who wrote the teleplay for this episode) plays these moments out tremendously in the script and let's all three of these characters truly shine in the last half of this episode.

The ending is one of Thrones' most satisfying moments, and yet its one of its most terrifying. A cliffhanger in which there was one of the show's best moments, but also spells complete and utter uncertainty. It was an interesting juxtaposition of satisfaction and confusion that had me at the edge of my seat.

Things have just gotten crazy in Westeros.