HBO’s Chernobyl Shows The Horror Of Lies!

Chernobyl, HBO’s new miniseries, is one of the best pieces of horror media ever created. It is constantly showing you something awful, and while there is some body horror here and there, the horror on display in Chernobyl is the abuse of the power and the lies used to sustain that power. Abuse that was left unchecked and almost brought about a worldwide disaster.

If you are not up on your history, you may not know what happened at Chernobyl, but most people know the name. This show does a great job of getting most of the details across, and if nothing else, the feeling of what happened in the Ukraine. However, the showrunners do admit to changing a few things to make the show flow better, but because the creators want the full truth out there, they also released a podcast where they walkthrough everything that happened in fuller detail.

You will follow Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) as he fights to get the Soviet Union to do what needs to be done to get this disaster under control. The Soviet Union at the time was unwilling to admit any flaws, and as such they didn’t want to admit the Earth threating disaster was really that bad, which made Valery’s job very difficult. Of course once his job was complete, they want him to cover it all up. What is worse, is that all of this could have been avoided had someone just told the truth.

While melting nuclear rectors and decaying bodies sold the show, it is really the stellar cast that makes it work. Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård are the able anchors of Chernobyl. They both can do so much acting without even talking. Thoughtful stares, tense looks, and all manor of facial expressions are expertly done. Emily Watson was a great addition to the cast, and even if her character was a composite of many different scientists, they make her an unwavering voice for the truth that this show desperately needs.

I get that not everyone has HBO or Sky, so Chernobyl may be hard to find for a while, but when it does hit other platforms, it is a must watch. If you do have HBO or the Sky Network, you should watch Chernobyl immediately. It reminds us why we need governments that are honest and don’t try to show us how infallible they are, but that truly do what is best for their citizens.

This Patrol Is Anything But Doomed!

I tell you what, my DC Universe subscription is really paying off. Titans had a slow start, but then found its footing. However, Doom Patrol started off good then got even better. When the show was backdoor piloted in to Titans people got a little worried. It looked campy and Titans hadn’t yet found its stride. It turns out all that worry was for not. Doom Patrol might me be my favorite thing on ‘TV’.

Doom Patrol is about an eclectic group of meta-humans and cyborgs that just want to find their kidnaped leader, The Captain (Timothy Dalton). Unlike most ‘superheroes’, whos powers are things most anyone would want, the Doom Patrol’s powers come from disabilities or trauma, and they aren’t so much a team as a group of people who endure each other’s company.

What I loved about Doom Patrol is how well written the characters are. The entire show is a long character drama, but with the weirdest and wildest and most comic-book-y-est things ever committed to screen. Nothing is too strange or off-putting for this show. Butts with legs and sharp teeth that eat people? Check. Rats that have the same backstory as Batman, but then follow a darker path? Absolutely. A slightly overweight Brendan Fraser saying the ‘F’ word a lot? The Doom Patrol has got it covered.

Speaking of Brendan Fraser, this cast is fantastic. Timothy Dalton, Brendan Fraser, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, Joivan Wade and April Bowlby make up just the main cast. Plus, there are tons of talented extras that come and go as well. Though you can tell that they tried to save money by keeping the team separated for a few episodes, Dalton is usually out of the picture because he has been kidnapped, and Bomer and Fraser usually are just needed for voice work since their characters’ faces are covered or made of metal. Still, they do not waste the talent they signed on for this show.

Listen, we are living in not just the golden age of television, but also the golden age of comic book media, so there are a lot of things to watch to get that superhero fix. However, you should still give Doom Patrol a chance. I am guessing there will not be a lot of shows like this ever made, and I am hoping they bring it back for season two because season one as fantastic. It is streaming right now on DC Universe in the USA and in some other countries on Netflix, so give it a watch.

The Twist Is That Detective Pikachu Is Good!

Over twenty years ago I took my little brother to the first Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back. Back then Pokémon was a fad; it was going to be a flash in the pan and then kids would be on to the next thing. Of course that did not happen. Pikachu is one of the most recognizable cartoon mascots in the world and Pokémon Detective Pikachu is a blockbuster with a massive $150 Million budget hoping to gross over $450 Million worldwide. Even more surprising? It is a good movie.

Detective Pikachu is about Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) who has to visit Ryme city to deal with his father’s recent death. His father Harry, a detective, died in a car crash, but things get complicated when Tim happens across a Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) he can understand that tells him Harry is alive and that they need to solve the mystery of why Harry’s death was faked to save his life.

Detective Pikachu has kind of been billed as Deadpool for kids and that makes sense considering they share a lead in Ryan Reynolds. However, while the jokes do come fast and furious at times, I would say these are still two very different films. Deadpool does have its charms and a bigger heart than most people give it credit for; Detective Pikachu is more of a sweet kids movie. Pikachu and Tim are earnestly looking to build connections in their lives and this movie is about their relationship.

While the base movie fine, the real stars of Detective Pikachu are the fully realized Pokémon. They look great and they act exactly like you would expect them to. In fact, I wish the movie was more about them. I know this is a common complaint for these types of movies – more Transformers in the Transformers movies, more Smurfs in the Smurfs movies, but the Pokémon are so good that it is hard not to want more time with them.

The biggest flaw with Detective Pikachu is that the story is pretty generic, but it is saved by charismatic leads and cute little monsters. If you don’t like Pokémon this movie may not work as well for you, but if like me you have been around the franchise for over twenty years it is a fun experience. It also seems to work for younger children as well, my five year old loved it, so it looks like a winner for families. I am ready for more live action Pokémon movies!

John Wick Can’t Stop!

I have every belief that John Wick was supposed to be a one time low budget action movie, but with the hope that it would catch on like a revenge fueled Liam Neeson. Never in their wildest dreams did they think it would be a summer blockbuster, but here we are. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is the first movie to take the number one box-office spot away from Avengers: Endgame, and it may hold its own against a slumping live action Aladdin this Memorial Day weekend. Why? Because it is awesome.

Much like John Wick: Chapter 2, Chapter 3 takes place moments after the last one ends. John Wick has been ousted from the Continental and declared excommunicado by the High Table. There is a massive bounty on his head, and he has one hour to make a plan to survive. The plan he comes up with involves killing a lot of people. So many people.

Much like Chapter 2, the story telling isn’t flawless. They explain too much of the lore surrounding the John Wick universe for my taste, and in order to explore that lore the movie takes a second act detour that ends up going nowhere. Had he not gone down that rabbit hole nothing would have changed, but it doesn’t matter much because they deliver on what the fans are in their seats for: none stop action.

There are so many amazingly choreographed action sequences it is hard to pick a favorite, and even if I could I wouldn’t spoil it for you. They say they got even more planed for Chapter 4, and I am here for it. John Wick: Chapter 2 upped the ante of the first John Wick, and now Chapter 3 (Parabellum) has upped it again. With the only let downs being the unwieldy name and some iffy plot points. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum may not be perfect, but it is more than worth your money.

The Game Of Thrones Has Been Won!

Season eight of Game of Thrones has been a wild ride. The spectacle has never been greater. It pushed what ‘TV’ can be to new heights, but at the same time it was in such a hurry to wrap everything up that all the character moments felt forced and out of place. I will not spoil who wins, but I don’t think it was the audience.

A lot of people have been saying the reason season eight wasn’t what they wanted was because David Benioff and D. B. Weiss no longer had any books to work off of. Just a bullet pointed list of what was going to happen in the books. My guess is that Benioff and Weiss didn’t really like all the spectacle and action. They liked all the dirty politics and intrigue, but with a zombie army and an impatient queen with dragons there wouldn’t be any time for that, so they just pushed through all craziness to the ending. For better or worse.

In the end season eight wasn’t the best of what Game of Thrones has offered, but it wasn’t near as bad as Twitter is saying it is. Even with this truncated and fast forwarded season, this show still gave us seasons three through six, which was some of the best television ever, and that is something to be thankful for. Maybe your player didn’t win the throne, but we still got dragon battles and a zombie army, which is pretty sweet.