The CassaDark tour kicks off today! I have a special feature at Literary Rambles today. Thanks, Natalie!
The Batman Review
From the IMDB: When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.
Don’t go into this film expecting Justice League Batman or some Marvel funfest. This is the Detective Comics Dark Knight of the 70’s, a world of mystery but no superpowers. It’s similar to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and even more so to 2019’s Joker.
This is a Batman movie – it’s not about Bruce Wayne. (Much to my delight.) He’s in the suit three-fourths of the time or more. And what an impressive suit! It’s an amped up modern-day battlefield armor.
Robert Pattinson is great as Batman. (Director Matt Reeves actually wrote the script with him in mind.) He conveys the agony, the desire to be nothing but the Batman, so well. And he has a great face for the Batman cowl. Zoë Kravitz is fetching and dangerous as Catwoman. And good luck recognizing Collin Farrell as the Penguin!
The action set pieces are spectacular. Just gritty, visceral, and chaotic. The car chase scene is the real standout.
This film works as well as a detective-mystery as it does a super hero film. And that’s its focus. It’s film noir, stylized, and deliberate. (Think Dune and Blade Runner 2046.)
At three hours long, I can honestly say I was never bored. Could it have been trimmed a bit? Yeah, a little bit. But still worth it on the big screen.
Highly recommended!
Season 13 of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Sneak Preview!
As backers, we got to watch the first episode, still raw and unpolished, of the new season of MST3K. It was broadcast live on March 4 and Joel Hodgeson spoke before it began and with a panel of creatives after the show, which was really cool.
Kinga Forrester destroyed Moonbase 13 (and many others) so they are now on Moonbase 1 in the Gizmoplex. (And the Gizmoplex is the medium by which you will get to see the thirteenth season.)
The film was Santo in the Treasure of Dracula, a Mexican film with both a family friendly and an R-rated nudity version. But perfect for riffing.
The sets were still a bit raw and the jokes not quite as polished, so it will be interesting to see the final version when it debuts.
The best part was the technical difficulties in the fifteen minutes before the show finally began. They kept posting things like:
We really did test this.
We think the projector is broken.
And no, it’s not because everyone is logged in at once!
Overall, a real treat to see the season begin before its official launch!
Reacher Series Review
This is the best adaptation of Lee Child’s novels so far. (And I’ve read the book this part of the series is based on.)
The guy who plays Reacher, Alan Ritchson, is spot-on. (Big improvement over Tom Cruise!)
The overall pacing and style are excellent. One of the most entertaining series I’ve seen in a long time.
Highly recommended!
In Other News…
Picard season two has begun. And wow, what a bang-up beginning! A couple things I question but the ending of the first show will make you either cheer or cry.
The CassaDark tour begins!
Here are the dates:
March 14 – Literary Rambles
March 30 – Ronel Janse van Vuuren
April 1 – Sandra Cox
April 4 – Elizabeth S. Craig
April 5 – Melissa Maygrove
April 6 – Diane Burton
April 6 – Kathy McKendry
April 7 – Cherie Colyer
April 8 – Toi Thomas
April 11 – Jemi Fraser
April 12 - Life by Chocolate – Robyn Alana Engel
April 13 – Gwen Gardner
April 14 – A to Z Challenge Blog
April 15 - Thoughts in Progress
April 18 – Yolanda Renee
April 19 – Armed With a Book
April 20 – Annalisa Crawford
April 22 – Tyrean Martinson
April 25 -Sarah Foster
May 2 – Armed With a Book
I am also reaching out to you – if you can do a feature or quick interview/guest post or a Tweet or mention on Facebook or Instagram or Pinterest or whatever…let me know! This will be my swan song, returning full circle to the Cassa universe, and a fitting end to a career I never saw coming.
Thank you.
Have you seen The Batman? Catch the season premiere of MST3K season 13? Watching Reacher? And who can help spread the word about CassaDark?
