Batman: Knightfall Part 1

Break the Bat!

Just when I thought I've had enough posting about superhero films, my passion for comic books drives into the animated version of my favorite Batman story arc of all time: Knightfall. Yes, that dark and gritty story that ran from 1993 to 1994 that introduced readers to the unthinkable: Batman is finally beaten, and crippled for life. For life? Well, at least for a couple of years. How can you possible tell a story that took two years, 102 (some say 106 to 112) issues on a film over an hour and so? The answer is, yes you can. DC Comics has been agonizing for years with their live action films. Even now, with James Gunn on the helm, the situation doesn't seem to be any different from that when Zack Snyder was in charge. However, the animated universe of comic book films from DC has been fairly good, and true to the source. Batman has already had some animated versions of classics like Dark Knight Returns, Year One, The Killing Joke, Hush & The Long Halloween just to name a few acclaimed graphic novels we all hold dear to our hearts. 

The films were directed by Jeff Wamester from a script by Jeremy Adams and stars Anson Mount, Michael Mando and Pablo Schreiber. 

The first installment, Batman: Knightfall – Part 1: Knightfall, follows Batman as he exhausts himself in confronting the escaped inmates of Arkham Asylum who were freed by Bane, and we all know, eventually this exhaustion leads to Bane breaking his back and taking him out of business for two long years. Like most adaptations, there are a few changes, but for the first time I can merrily say they're minimal and do not affect the legacy of the best Batman saga from the 1990s. Key characters like Shondra Kinsolving, Tim Drake, and of course Jean-Paul Valley are present and are reasonably represented both in their looks and psyches. The gallery of rogues is also there, and their crimes after escaping Arkham asylum are also a faithful source representation. Of course, not every story is included. Time constraints make it impossible to have room for every adventure the caped crusader goes through until Bane has him cornered.

No time to rest.

 

Azrael is one of the coolest additions to the Batman world.

Faithful Enough

Discussing comic book faithfulness is one recurring matter amongst my friends and I. They think I'm an extremist by demanding a fair representation from pages to screen. By all means, they are right. Adaptations to different formats will always include the vision from the author ,even if that involves making changes to the source material. One minor thing that may be a tad different from the comic book here, is Bane's intentions behind conquering Gotham city. His origin story in the animation pretty much resembles that of Captain America: A man undergoes a secret project where through drug infusions he will become the ultimate killing machine. The comic book origin makes it clear he's no hero. He actually spends 31 days in a coma after a near-fatal fall. The time he's imprisoned  allows him to grow his physique and develop his intellect. You see, Bane is not all muscle and brute force. Warner Bros already made the mistake of dumbing down Bane in Batman & Robin (1997) Another change regarding his evilness, is the fact his henchmen are completely absent in part 1. Bird, Zombie and Trog provide essential reconnaissance and tech support to Bane's plan.  Maybe we'll see them later, who knows? Other subplots involving The Joker, Scarecrow and Cornelius Stirk driving Gotham into chaos were omitted for part 1. Again, they may show up later, it's still early to declare these changes as permanent. We need an extra year to agree to that, since Part 2 & part 3 are currently in production and technically  will premiere somewhere in 2027. Moreover, a whole action packed sequence involving Robin & Killer Croc are also absent from the film. 

What about Azrael? 

The character first appeared in the 1992 four-issue miniseries Batman: Sword of Azrael as Jean-Paul Valley. He then became a supporting character in the monthly Batman titles, eventually taking over the role of Batman through the "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd" story arcs. One of its creators, Denny O'Neil, admitted to having difficulties with Azrael's transition from villain to hero: "If I'd known he was to become a monthly character, I might have set him up differently. The problem is that I had to turn a bad guy into a real hero, not just an anti-hero or lead. It's possible to do that, but it's difficult to retain the original characterization. You almost have to change his personality".

O'Neil characterized Azrael as contrasting to Batman: "Bruce is very aware of what he is and how that contributes to what he does. He is not moved by internal or external forces that he doesn't already understand. Jean-Paul, on the other hand, has virtually no idea who he really is. He is, in the worst possible way, ignorant. Think about it: he had a rotten childhood he can barely remember; conversely, Bruce remembers his childhood, which was, up until that one critical moment, a very happy and privileged one – all too well. So they are at extreme opposite ends of the psychological spectrum." The subsequent Azrael series, chronicling Valley's battles against the Order of St. Dumas, ran for 100 issues between 1995 and 2003. O'Neil modeled the series on Arthurian legends, comparing Azrael's quest to discover the truth about himself to the Holy Grail. Starting with issue #47, it was retitled to Azrael: Agent of the Bat in an attempt to boost sales by tying the series in with the rest of the Batman mythos, including Azrael as part of the team of Batman, Robin, and the new Batgirl. Eventually, the character was killed off in the 100th issue of his series and would only make a handful of appearances in flashbacks and the Blackest Night storyline. Long story short, he has returned in several stories after his death, you see, in comic books, no one stays really dead.

 

Jean Paul Valley, one of my favorites.

Knightfall, the comic book.

"Knightfall" resulted in long-term ramifications for the Batman continuity, as Batman's trust from the police, the public, and his fellow superheroes had to be rebuilt due to Azrael's violence. Additionally, Bruce realizes the peril and burden of attempting to work in solitude, leading to the eventual creation of the modern incarnation of the Batman Family. The events of "Knightfall" also led to the temporary resignation of Bruce's loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

The entire "Knightfall" storyline took over a year to complete in the comic book serials. In later years, the comics were reprinted several times, though never in full, as the "Knightquest: The Search" story arc was not collected until the second omnibus edition in 2017.

The initial idea for the character of Azrael stemmed from a two-part story idea pitched by Detective Comics writer Peter Milligan circa 1991, as he was leaving that position. After line editor Dennis O'Neil decided to expand it into a larger epic, he and the Batman line writers Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Alan Grant convened an authors' summit over a long weekend to flesh out the details and story points. At the same time, the Superman team was planning for a similar character-altering storyline, and neither they nor the Batman group initially had any knowledge of each other's plans. Dennis O'Neil denies the Knightfall storyline was in any way inspired by The Death of Superman storyline and states that it was already in development by as much as three years, saying that if the Batman staff had known, the storyline would likely have been pushed down a year. 

The intent of Knightfall's writers was to counter the then-popular style of violent heroes in comics and demonstrate that the traditional Batman made for a better hero. The issues featuring Jean-Paul Valley as Batman on the cover depict him with highly exaggerated musculature and legs which taper into disproportionately tiny feet, mimicking the styles of contemporary "violent hero" artists such as Rob Liefeld. 

 

The now legendary #497 issue.

Did you like part 1? let me know in the comments.

 In the meantime here's part 1 trailer:

 ...and happy Batman day!

 

Supergirl (2026)

Superbore!

Alright, so the Supergirl film leaked weeks before that September 8 official release date on digital. While I was willing to wait for that legal premiere date, I was also curious about all the negative reviews the film, and how it's labeled the worst DC Comics film since 2004's Catwoman. Hitting new lows seem to be the only record Warner Bros. will keep on breaking with every film they make. 

The All-new Supergirl 

Loosely, and I have to add the adverb very before the adjective, based upon the only succesful Supergirl comic book we have seen in recent years, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Now, loosely is quite a subjective word when it comes to making film adaptations. Take this year's Wuthering Heights, and you'll see it now means: having no clue about the source material, and doing whatever writers, producers and directors want with it. At this point, I'm disgusted to see a rich country like the USA waste millions of dollars in films that will go nowhere. They could definitely use that money for research, medicine, education and helping the third world survive the constant poverty state in which they are because of richer countries considered first-worlders. 

Only a few minutes does she wear her suit.

 

Krypto also appears a few minutes only.

In a  nutshell, Kara is presented as a careless alcoholic bad girl that travels from planet to planet just for the kicks. On the contrary, the source they claim having used for making this film, Kara is a compassionate being mentoring a little girl on dealing with her parents loss. Here she is just this forced Guardians of the Galaxy generic type of hero that makes you feel absolutely no connection to it, and that is a major problem considering she is the main character. The other characters, are just there to be punched by Supergirl, and occassionally Lobo, and the bad guy, who with any production where James Gunn has put his hands on, nobody will remember after a week.  Plotwise, is Kara looking for a cure for Krypto, and also trying to help Ruthye deal with her parents death. Oh, by the way, Lobo is there just to provide more ass-kicking while have actually nothing to do with the source material. Superman is also here, and perhaps the only scenes I actually cared about, were those he was in, which are essentially two. 

The excessive amount of green screen used, and CGI generated characters and battles, make it seem like another videogame that will soon be for sale on Steam. It's corporate greed that ultimately killed these films. Marvel studios is also suffering the same fate, releasing turd after turd. Disney also made people get sick and tired of Star Wars, an achievement I believed to be impossible. The only way you can support all these terrible movies, is if you are a complete and absolute moron, and seeing the world leaders we have elected, is quite clear there's a large audience for that. Gone are the days of artistic film-making.

Another element I couldn't pass on, was the fact Kara is too much of an earthling despite spending and unclear time on Earth with his cousin. Her use of American slang, a Blondie t-shirt, Earth music, and a wardrobe that is clearly from our planet, contradict the fact this is an origin story where she is still that sore Kryptonian looking for her place in the universe. As soon as you see her, you know she has already done that, so why go through planets when it's clear she has already adapted to our human customs and culture, because she probably feels she fits in our planet, thanks to his cousins aid?

 

Me good, you bad!

 

She probably didn't read the comic book either.

This remake has no moral value. Since they decided to change the ending from the source material, there is no breaking the cycle of violence, so what can a little girl learn about that? Heroes can kill so that you don't have to? A shit ton of people freaked out with Man of Steel's ending in 2013, and here we are again.

There is a reason why I stopped posting about superhero films, and it's because these films do not respect comic book readers. I'm not saying we, the readers, own these characters, or have entitlement over the subject, but it's time we see things for what they really are: The industry is milking nerds' money, that's the only reason why they're doing this, and there's a whole sub category of "casual nerds"born out of these flicks, you know, those who never read a single comic book ,or that perhaps read the most popular story arcs, or maybe only have watched these films and call themselves comic book fans. These occasional fans are not investing their money on comic books, so they're not helping the actual industry, where these wonderful stories come from, make any money.

As a final note, please do read Tom Green & Bilquis Evely's Woman of Tomorrow, that's where the better story is, and just like every comic book in history, the source material will always be superior, and the money will go the actual artists involved in the comic book, instead of film moguls, and annoying characters like Kevin Smith or James Gunn.

 

 

Mortal Kombat II

So real, it hurts!

Yes, it's true my time invested on reviewing films, Anime, and whatnot has diminished significantly. Perhaps it's time to inform the Jedi council about it. Yesterday, in what has been my partial winter break from work I had some time to wear my jammies, drink Pepsi and eat Doritos while watching Mortal Kombat II on premiere day on HBO Max. I did have the opportunity of going to the movies, but adulting got in the way and eventually, I never went to the theater. Save for Masters of the Universe, the hottest film in the universe in decades. 

As previously mentioned in the He-Man review, niche films are a good thing for the industry. The times of "all audiences" have caused enough suffering to an industry that is already in a coma thanks to the rise of streaming services. You see, when you like reading books, you like authors, genres, a specific type. This is the same with music, video-games, sports, and of course films and whatnot.  Mortal Kombat is a game franchise  that has been with us for since 1992. During that time, we've seen game sequels, live action films, TV series, a cartoon, comic books, crossover games, and of course the inevitable remakes. 

Finally, Jade.

Adjust your sunglasses in style.

Mortal Kombat II is the sequel, I know, Harvard is looking forward to meeting me, to the 2021 reboot film that basically retold the story of Scorpion & Sub-Zero while, Earth realm warriors prepared for the tournament while unraveling some of the game lore. From that film, returning characters are Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs, Cole Young, Raiden, Liu Kang, [Spoiler], Shang Tsung & [Spoiler II]. Now, here's the cool thing. If you didn't watch the previous film, but know about MK, you won't need to revisit the earlier. MK II has a self-contained story with more familiar characters for the game fans. One small detail from the previous film: Earth had been defeated 9 times in a row in the tournament by the Outworld. An extra defeat would mean an invasion to the Earth realm. So, part 2 is that tenth tournament. 

Nerdgasm!

Visually, the film offers an endless amount of references to the franchise. From battle stages like the acid pit, Fatality included, to characters using their special abilities just like in any MK game. Plot wise, writers took the more familiar elements from the original arcade games, and cleverly combined them with the more recent games and their plot twists. 

 

Get over here!

 

Noob!

Fights are also front and center in the movie, and they feel natural and realistic enough so that you know you're in the MK world. There are fatalities, there are Mercies, and there is a slight insinuation of some kind of Animality. The battles are staged beautifully. You can see they took good care of the martial arts aspects of the job. Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) is the best character on this sequel. His story offers a down-to-Earth perspective unlike any of the other characters. He used to be a great martial artist actor that definitely resembles Jean Claude Van-Damme's career. He made films in the 80s and 90s, and then nobody cared about him anymore. Yes, I know Johnny Cage was originally intended to be portrayed by the actor but he was on top of his game, so there was just no way for Midway (previous owners before it became Warner) to release an unknown game with a Hollywood star as one of the characters. On the other hand, the remaining characters feel a bit too fictional compared to Cage. Now, this shouldn't be a bad thing, but it is to a degree. All the emotional aspects of some characters feel plastic and as green-screened as most of the places our heroes visit in Edenia and the Nether realm. For example, Kitana's origin story graphically offers a painful glimpse on her past, but once she has the opportunity to even the odds, neither the actress nor the scene can make the viewer truly relate to what's going on. Nevertheless, this is a videogame adaptation, perhaps that plastic acting and superficial sensitivity can be easily accepted playing the game on your favorite console, but as a movie, it feels like the major weakness of the film. We know characters have a mission and bla bla bla ,but it just doesn't fully convince the viewer this is a real life-threatening combat.

 

Mighty Kitana.

Cheating outworld ruler.

Plotwise, the outworld cheats by acquiring an old amulet that allows the user to drain energy from gods and become immortal. The gem in question belonged to Shinnok (the MK 4 bad guy), and was accidentally stolen by [spoiler II] and retrieved by Quan-Chi. Earth realm heroes discover the only way to beat son-of-a-bitch Shao-Khan is by either retrieving the amulet, or by destroying it completely. Sadly, Noob Saibot took the amulet to the Nether realm where a retired Scorpion spends his days gardening. The battle between Scorpion and Noob Saibot is visually exquisite, one of the strengths of the film for sure. 

Overall, Mortal Kombat II excels when it's all about the fighting, just like in the original videogames. Leave the acting and plot for real actors and writers. Still, a fun film for fans of the franchise looking for some ass-kicking.

 

  

Masters of the Universe (2026)

Heroes are forged.

The last time we saw MOTU in the big screen was 39 years ago. If you want to read about that film, you can click here. 

Boy the world has changed since 1987! The lurking presence of official critics, plus an algorithm that thrives on negativity has certainly decided who's in and who's out.  This modern world of zeroes and ones, has us seeing only content we like. The rest is deemed invisible, and when it occasionally  shows up in our screens, we become Skeletor and can't stand living in a shared world with different cultures, political views, and favorite food. Masters of the Universe is a 44 year old property, AKA franchise, that has been here as long as I have. I'm 44 years old too, and I still feel I am entitled to say "I Have the power!". 

Fisto & Teela.

Survival of the fittest.

In 44 years MOTU, has reinvented itself through comic books, animated sequels, never-ending action figure releases, pop culture, memes, and streaming services. The new film director Travis Knight knows this all too well. He was in charge of revitalizing the Transformers franchise with what I think is the best live action movie from the series: Bumblebee. So, as soon as I heard his name, I thought this could receive the same treatment. I was partially right. The new MOTU movie is spectacular. Every reference, story, scenery, battle moves, and original concepts are all here. Even the memes, that 4 Non Blondes one hit wonder, and more. 

Amazon, love it or hate it, produced the film thinking ahead. A movie franchise, and all the byproducts that come with it. While the film preserves the original magic from the Saturday morning cartoon, it also embraces the pop culture that helped He-Man continue to live in the most unexpected places. Reddit, memes, Youtube songs became the familiar face to generations that were not born in the 1980s, and perhaps never cared for the 2000 reboot and the more recent Netflix series. Yet, they know He-Man is here. And so is Skeletor. 

 

One of the early leaked film pictures.

Adam is ready to do what's right.

He-Man of the 21st Century

When a character story arc is solid, you can go back to telling the story over and over. The hero's journey, AKA, the Monomyth, one of the most frequent narrative styles used for superheroes, literary classics, and whatnot, is exactly what we need to return to that familiar place known as Eternia.

The monomyth is broken into 3 sections: Departure, Initiation and Return. The MOTU film is clearly about that. 

Departure:

Adam Glenn has to escape to Earth in order to survive the Skeletor invasion of Eternia. As you and I know, Earth is the birthplace of Queen Marleena, so it's only fitting he may find solace and sanctuary there. The sword of power works as some kind of key/GPS that when the time is right will bring Adam back to his beloved family. Sadly, he loses the sword while traveling to Earth. So, obviously, he'll have to retrieve the sword if he's to ever see his homeworld again.

Initiation:

Once he finds the sword, the sword emits a traceable signal that brings Teela to Earth, and sadly Beastman. We know how obsessed Skeletor was with the sword of power, as he believed the weapon to be the ultimate key to access the secrets of Castle Grey Skull, and ultimately its massive god-like power. Adam is a Human Resources man, not a warrior by any means. Once he's taken home, he has to quickly adapt to his homeworld and with the little knowledge and training he had, he eventually is forced to wield the sword of power and yes, scream "By the power of Gray Skull! I have the power!"

Return:

The consequences of learning on the go, will push He-Man to the ultimate test, and the inevitable: He must defeat Skeletor in order to free his people, save his family, and become the man he thinks he's supposed to be. Queue Stone Temple Pilots' Creep "I'm half the man I used to be" verse. While seeing how powerful he can be, he needs to learn to control his powers, and boy does he feel miserable after he finds out first hand, there are casualties of war. Beaten he realizes the real reason why the Sorceress chose him as the champion of Eternia, and this truly feels like seeing a Filmation episode where at the end they tell you about what makes a hero. 

 

Evil returns.

 

...and so does Good!

Add to that journey a proper sense of humor aimed at kids from the 1980s, not kids from today. The obvious jokes on characters' names like Fisto, & Ram-Man are there, but there are other jokes that assess the antiquated perception of what a villain is, and what he/she stands for. Yes, Skeletor's maniac laughter is there. Skeletor's evil conquest speech? check! Skeletor's purpose speech? Check!. There's even room for humor based on He-Man's physique, which reminded me of a friend whose wife was suspicious of him because he collected muscular men action figures.  

In a nutshell, MOTU is the film we all dreamed of 39 years ago. The director, artists,  producers, and actors aligned to deliver the best nerd-themed movie in recent years.  Not even superhero films have been able of keeping the lore intact because the corporate industry is obsessed with reaching wider audiences. Niche films can also be lucrative, and this may be a good example of it. 

 

 

Sidekicks

Meet your idols.

I think it's never too late to pay homage to your childhood stars. With the recent passing of Chuck Norris, I realized I never reviewed any of his films, even though I've seen them all, and some I've seen more than once. Yet, there is something special about Sidekicks, one of the worst rated flicks from his filmography that makes up for a fitting tribute. In a nutshell, Sidekicks is about a young school kid with asthma that daydreams of one day meeting his hero Chuck Norris. This kid has rewatched his films on VHS tape more times than anybody else, and the passion goes as far as daydreaming in school and being nicknamed "Barry the dreamer" by some of his bully classmates. 

First of all, the film features a stellar cast of names widely recognized if you grew up in the 80s. Beau Bridges, Danica McKellar, Julia Nickson-Soul, and of course Jonathan Brandis in the lead plus Chuck Norris as himself.  

I've got Chuck, you've got nothing.

Barry Gabrewski is a troubled and bullied asthmatic boy who lives with his widowed father, Jerry, in Houston, Texas. A loner, Barry has vivid daydreams about being Chuck Norris' sidekick, and about battling against Norris' movie enemies. Said foes are often personified by Barry's everyday nemeses, such as class bully Randy Cellini; Coach Horn, their loudmouthed and demanding PE instructor; and apathetic English teacher Mapes. Noreen Chan, Barry's favorite teacher, often plays the damsel-in-distress in these daydreams, most of which parody assorted Chuck Norris films (notably Missing in Action, The Delta Force, and The Hitman).  However, the execution of those dreams make the film seem dated, as one would easily think this kid has developed some sort of autistic/psychological condition that requires treatment, instead of the usual 80s it's-just-a-phase advice. Of course, these dreams serve the purpose of allowing the viewer to see Chuck Norris reprising some of his famous roles while holding no connection to the world in which Barry lives. On the other hand, we could agree these dreams represent the naivety of the teenage protagonist. He's neither a grown man, nor is he looking forward to that. These dreams keep him going, since school isn't the friendliest place to be. 

Chuck Norris, a real action hero.

This kid is everyone's kid in the late 80s/ early 90s.

Later, and thanks to the power of cinema magic, his favorite teacher, Miss Noreen Chan, receives the visit from uncle Lee, who's coming to town to manage the restaurant her late parents inherited her. This leads our teacher into thinking she could lend a hand helping Barry achieve his dream of becoming a martial artist. After the typical trials in the style of Karate Kid, Kickboxer and many other 80s films, the kid is ready to be trained in martial arts.

Sidekicks was filmed primarily in Houston, TX. It was the pet project of well-known Houston furniture outlet owner Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale, who (in partnership with Chuck Norris and his "Kick Drugs out of Schools" campaign) invested 8 million dollars in producing this movie. Chuck Norris, who had appeared in many local television commercials for McIngvale, suggested the idea of creating this film, and McIngvale agreed to finance and produce it. 

Plotwise, the story doesn't distance itself from hundreds of films following the hero's journey narrative. I've always wondered if all these flicks pushed the bully presence in schools as something that is as American as baring guns.There are no teenage films without them, since they clearly serve a purpose of making the viewer feel unease and disgusted by the presence of these annoying characters who ultimately get what they deserve in the hands of their victims. 

 

Losers never get the girl.

Heroes on the other hand...

The supporting cast is modest. We have Miss Chan, her uncle Mr. Lee, Barry's father and Lauren. The teacher being a key character, as she aids Barry into transforming his dreams into reality. As any good education professional, she believes in change. Mr. Lee serves as a mild comic relief while also being Barry's martial arts master. Lauren, serves as the love interest yet is a character that didn't age well. In a  nutshell, she hangs out with Barry because she feels sorry for him. Once things change and Barry kicks the bully's ass in the school's gym, for no reason at all she's surprised he can fight, and so she decides he is a fit candidate for whatever it is you want that when in school. Her role is stereotyped and dated by today's standards. 

In a nutshell, Sidekicks, serves both as a homage to Chuck Norris career, and a cautionary tale about bullying that never gets old. Moreover, the mentoring figure theme is also quite strong. Of course, in these days where we have millions of influencers trying to tell you what to do with your life and money, having a mentor may seem irrelevant, but back then having someone to look up to, had a whole different meaning. 

Rest in peace Chuck Norris...

 

Deranged

Obscure, yet a must watch.

 

It's been a long while since I reviewed B-movies. The never-ending list of retro Anime I had to post, kept me in the Japanese field for several years, and it will continue for a while, as I'm still revisiting some I haven't reviewed yet. Anyway, streaming services sometimes provide you with a list of interesting more obscure films from decades past. Such is the case of today's review, a horror masterpiece that went under the radar for decades until it was rediscovered and properly issued on VHS format in the early 1990s by American International Pictures, owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, thus fully available now on Prime Video. 

Allegedly, Deranged is based on the crimes of Ed Gein, an American murderer from Plainfield, Wisconsin. Legend has it, Psycho & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre where both based upon the crimes from this man. I'll spare the details so that you can enjoy the film, and Google details yourself.  In a nutshell, this Canuxploitation psychological horror story, tries to retell the story from the earlier murderer in the fictional character of Ezra Cobb, masterfully portrayed by Roberts Blossom. Cobb is a middle-aged man from the rural midwest near an unnamed town. 

 

Family dinner.

In-your face horror.

Considering this is a 1974 movie, most of the elements that describe the lead and his victims may be seen today as derivative or stereotypical. Yet, the storytelling is compelling. The locations, soundtrack and few characters translate the idea of being a loner in the middle of nowhere for too long. Roberts Blossom, a classically trained theater actor and poet, really brings to life the disgusting psychopathic aspects of Ezra Cobb, yet he also unveils the scars, fears and weaknesses of a character that at times seems to be the actual victim of the story.  You see, Ezra has seen no life outside his farm, and spent most of his life care-taking for his mother Amanda, a religious fanatic who managed to indoctrinate Ezra into abhorring women. Once his mother dies, he has no reason left to live. No one to talk to, no one to cook for, no one to see hours go by while hoping for a recovery that will never come. 

A whole year goes by, and Ezra starts having aural hallucinations from his mother demanding to be brought back home, and here is where the movie actually starts. Ezra brings the corpse of her late mother home, but seeing her skin has dried and deteriorated he decides to find "spare parts" in other bodies of recently deceased people. The obituary proves to be more helpful than LinkedIn when searching for a job, and so does the horror story unravels. 

Build-your-own mask.

 

Psychopaths also love boobs.

Deranged costed only US$20,000 to produce, a modest budget even for the 1970s. Yet, the true horror does not lay in the way victims are murdered but more into the process where Mr. Cobb works with, LinkedIn recruitment precision, to find the perfect match.  Graphic violence, while moderate, doesn't truly carry the horror we're looking for. Performances are key on this film, where even though characters don't do much beyond what they're needed for, they do reinforce our main character's psychological profile, and having Roberts Blossom as the lead, truly brings this criminal to life. 

The original cut of the film featured a scene where the lead killer feeds from a skull. The scene was removed from early releases, and it is sadly removed in the version you can stream on Prime Video, although the scene doesn't add anything new about the deranged Ezra, it graphically depicts his mental state.

Now, as above mentioned in the first paragraph, the story of Ed Gein has been taken to the small and big screen on several occasions, and now that streaming rules-supreme, Netflix did their own revisiting.On September 16, 2024, it was announced that the third season of Monster would focus on convicted murderer and suspected serial killer Ed Gein. On October 4,2024 it was confirmed that the season would be titled The Original Monster, exploring Ed Gein's life as the first "celebrity serial killer" and examining how true crime evolved into a pop culture phenomenon. Principal photography reportedly began the next month. The season was announced to be retitled to Monster: The Ed Gein Story in August 2025. 

 Here's the original TV Spot for Deranged:

 

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

As Tarantino intended.

Yes, I haven't written as many reviews as I used in the past five years. Not because I haven't watched anything since then, but most likely because social networks have completely taken over the world of reviews with their youtubers and tiktokers sharing their biased, sometimes lacking, viewpoints.

On the other hand, written reviews have also been monopolized by paywalls that have dubious experts polishing the latest turds. Moreover, and this is the end of my rant, they say the movie industry is dying because of streaming services that know their viewers all too well: Short stories with the simplest so that they can continue doom-scrolling their socials while the actors on screen have explained their reasons for doing what they're doing for the tenth time on several episodes. 

Quentin Tarantino has got to be one of the last filmmakers that truly love cinema. Not only is he a director, but also a curator with surgeon knife precision, when it comes to bringing a script to life through some of the most memorable characters we have seen on screen since the early 90s. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is a gargantuan 4 hour and 36 minute experience not for the faint of the heart. Or at least, not for those in deep need of checking their phone screens every 5 minutes. 

Behind the blood bath.

They call her One Eye.

Seeing this film on the big screen 23 years after its original premiere, feels refreshing, compelling, and satisfactory. It's no secret the movie industry has been going down since the superhero craze. Now, all you see on screen is either a children's flick, an exhausted new superhero film, a lame remake, and that's pretty much it. People no longer remember going to the movies as a cultural act. An act of appreciating art in the room that was designed to bring the experience to life like no other place would.  Now, they're a bunch of couch potatoes on their phones while the TV is on. 

Kill Bill is one of the best films of all time. It is a homage to everything Tarantino loves about the film industry, and he knows his audience very well. Casual movie goers would neither think about the quality of a film, nor their artistic value. Seeing Kill Bill is seeing samurai films from the 1950s, martial arts B-movies from the 60s, obscure revenge films from the 70s, and slashers from the 80s. All with the twist of having a marvelous script with wonderful characters, and actors that excel at bringing such characters to life. No matter when you experienced Kill Bill for the first or the last time. You will forever remember its characters and plot.

Tarantino & Thurman promoting the "after credits scene".

 

Most beautiful celluloid assassin.

Once we got to the intermission, a girl no older than 20 asks me "Excuse me folk, what is an intermission?" and I replied "it means you have a 15 minute break". So she and her friend went out, like the majority of viewers did. This is where I realized: "Quentin Tarantino has achieved the legendary level". New generations are discovering his films for the first time, and regardless of not grasping every reference, or context from years past, they get they're watching a quality film that was made with durability in mind.  The majority of the people that were there, must have been 20 to 30 years old. The older viewers, like myself, a proud 44 year older, must have been the least in the room. I don't blame them, sitting for four hours straight, is not an easy task. Although I was prepared with my large bucket of popcorn and Sprite Zero, the intermission felt like the coming of a lifeboat. I could stand up, and walk for a little. 

Time for a walk.

"Now, We return to Kill Bill".

Does Kill Bill: TWBA feature extra/new scenes? 

Yes, it does. For the part we used to call "Volume 1" there is an expanded animated scene where we see Oren Ishii avenge his parents from every murdering bastard that was in the scene. I gotta admit, it didn't feel like filler at all. It could have been in the original version with no issues. Other minor shots appear when Beatrix Kiddo is fighting the crazy 88 in the restaurant, but you have to be quick, because these new angles go fast. Moreover, the famous fight, which was spent in black & white in the original cut, is now back to its bloody colorful massacre original intention. Gallons of blood are all over the screen, and I couldn't help but laugh, at youngsters being horrified with some of the most gruesome deaths.  

Unlike other old films brought back to theaters for anniversary celebrations, Kill Bill's return has got nothing to do with celebrating nostalgia. It is, let's say the "director's cut" we never got to see in 2003. A movie with such long runtime would mean theaters would technically lose money showing one instead of two films in a four hour time frame. Fast forward to 2026, and we can easily list films that are longer than 3 and even 5 hours! Two quick examples: The Batman & Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Last Duel.

 

Easy peasy.

Does Kill Bill: TWBA feels like a better film compared to the two original volumes?

No, it does not. The original volumes are the same movie only without the expanded animé scene. Moreover, this new take removes completely the opening black & white credits where Beatrix Kiddo is driving retelling what happened on volume 1 and where she's heading. Save for that, Volume 2 plays in its entirety as does volume 1 with a few added minutes. The seamless experience was already there in the original version of both films.  

Overall, a reminder of what great films used to be when the industry cared about art, and it wasn't force-fed into an algorithm that seems nearly impossible to avoid.