Doctor Who Arrives to Welcome The Class

Peter Capaldi returns for his confirmed final season as the universe’s favorite doctor with a new companion in Pearl Mackie who plays Bill Potts. Bill Potts is a worker at a university that catches the eye of the doctor and a friendship immediately emerges when a new threat arrives. Her introduction comes off clueless at times, but it’s forgivable considering she’s dealing with extraterrestrial forces and the Doctor must explain everything. The Pilot foreshadows a plot when it’s revealed why the Doctor is at the university and there’s several eggs in the episode that will have people reflecting on the doctor’s past. There was some issue considering Pearl Mackie’s character because she’s gay in the series.

Personally, I think it’s sad but overall, that’s how people feel, so whatever. The only problem I had with her again is she’s clueless. Probably the most clueless out of all the new generation of the Doctor’s companions but it’s forgivable. Bill Potts comes off as a good-hearted individual who makes the most out of life with what she has. Being without a mother, she sees the doctor as the one figure in her life that she can rely on for guidance. It was a good first episode for her and it’ll be interesting to see how she’s connected to the season in the same way most of the doctor’s companions are.  

The episode was moderate at best considering the roller coaster ride that season nine was. After losing Clara Oswald, it was clear that Peter Capaldi’s reign as the Doctor would soon come to an end as he enters his third season. It’s normal timing considering famous doctors such as David Tennant and Matt Smith. Don’t know how many of you feel, but Peter Capaldi isn’t one of my favorite doctors but he will be missed. There’s no word on who will replace him as the doctor but we will find out when the doctor regenerates in the Christmas special this year.

Class kicked off last night and I had to watch it twice because I didn’t know how to feel about it the first time. It starts off slow with the introduction of the main characters at Coal Hill School which was featured in the first episode of Dr. Who back in the 1960s. The school has been seen in several different seasons since and so this is almost a homage to that. The chemistry between certain characters is strong but some characters feel irrelevant or replaceable. Things get serious when one of the main characters reveal his origin and why a mysterious creature is hunting him and his “protector.”

The main villain comes off strong which saves the show and the Doctor makes a special appearance which was nice. By the end of the first episode, it’s clear where the series will go if it continues production. Class is a 50/50 considering how much of a fan you are, but I’m willing to give it a few more episodes. The only thing that could hurt it is if it relied too much on the doctor’s presence in the series. So far, Class gets a grade of C but the season is far from over and there’s time to improve.

We Are All Equal

The Deviant

If God forgives killers, rapists,

and all forms of evil,

why is being what I am

a one way ticket to hell?

I have a common name

you would give to any other child.

Yet you look at me like my name should be

Hitler, Bundy, or Dahmer.

If God is my judge, jury, and executioner,

if his judgment is the only one that matters,

then who the fuck are you

to tell me where I’m going when I’m gone?

To say I will burn for eternity

in a constant lake of fire.

Compared to the pain I’ve suffered from you,

the lake of fire sounds like a blessing.

You say my culture is evil,

yet you’ve never experienced my culture.

You’re like a blind man,

speaking about violence in television.

Where do you get the balls

to talk trash about the way that I live?

The way you talk trash about our culture

is like how a child doesn’t want to eat spinach.

Without even touching it,

you see something that looks disgusting.

Even though it can make you a strong person,

you still turn it away and you hate it

because of how it looks.

If Jesus says love your enemies as well as your friends,

then why do you harass me?

You insult me with words

and hit me with your fists.

Your souls must be dried up

because I’ve been surrounded by mountains of salt.

All because you don’t know me.

You only know that I love something you don’t.

I’ve done nothing wrong except being me,

And, what hurts the most is, you’ll never change.

You’re completely dead from head to toe.

You can make a quadriplegic feel grateful.

For that I will always pray and yet pity you

and this is the reason why.

You live by the book,

always fearful of the very word damnation.

But, in reality, you’ve hardly ever paid attention

to the simple meaning of life:

“To live and let live.”

You judge me because you want to be God yourself.

Who the fuck are you to be telling me how to live

and how to act with my life when you’re as mortal as me?

Maybe it’s you that should be named Hitler.

You’re being more of a heretic

than I ever could be.

You hurt me with your words

because your being so devoted.

Have you’ve ever listened to the word?

Deaf men look at you and think God made you

as a joke to make them feel better.

You beat me with your fists

because you’re getting tired of beating your wife.

who only wishes that she could be just as happy as me.

Since she’s stayed with you so long,

this shows that she has bigger balls than you.

You can’t love me like other enemies

because I’m not your enemy.

I’m something you want to be:

a person.

So, I will go on ignoring you.

What happens to me when I die?

I will leave that up to God,

the creator of you and I.

Personal Belief

I choose to be the one who thinks I'm never right because the people who believe they're never wrong always cause the most trouble.

Iron Fist Punches Ticket

Netflix and Marvel recently released the last series before the release of The Defenders this week with their final Defender in Iron Fist. Here’s the rundown for those that may have no idea of what I’m talking about. Marvel made a deal with Netflix to create a series first with one of their most popular character, Daredevil. The success of that series gave the go ahead to start production on the creation of some of Daredevil’s allies who eventually team up with him to create the team. It started from the dark and depressing world of Jessica Jones, to the violent and crude world of Luke Cage, and the mystical world of Iron Fist closes all introduction.

Iron Fist is about a rich billionaire by the name of Danny Rand who re-emerges after 15 years of being declared dead by some of his closest friends. When he arrives, Danny comes off as being a clueless and naïve individual except when it comes to fighting. He’s eventually committed after revealing to several people that he was raised by a certain order dedicated to destroying their sworn enemy, The Hand. The way Danny fights them is through mastering a form of Kung Fu that allows him to channel his Chi and make his hand indestructible.

Danny, played by Finn Jones is immediately thrown into a world of chaos and his only friend in the fight is a beautiful young woman who teaches self-defense by the name of Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick). Danny’s world only goes into more turmoil when he discovers that the reason behind everything the Hand. Danny fights tooth and nail to find all the answers from his past so he can continue forward as the legendary protector. The season does answer a lot of those question but it ends in a way that leaves a lot more questions to be asked later. This hero is probably my third favorite of the four with Jessica Jones last, Luck Cage second and Daredevil first.

Iron Fist was slow in the beginning but it all starts to pick up in the third episode and the fight scenes are well choreographed. I didn’t read the comics; so I don’t know how accurate it was to them but from what I’ve seen in certain shows that the character appears, Danny in the show is completely different. Maybe it’s due to the fact that he’s still becoming the Iron Fist but the character is known to be wise and seems to always know how to proceed but he’s been clueless and just rushing into any fight to get answers. There’s good twists in the show that keeps things interesting but some issues were too repetitive and kept dragging on too long. The choice for the main villain was great in David Wenham (300) who plays a very cold and calculating father.

Iron Fist almost shows a resemblance to Batman Begins when it comes to how Dnny Rand became the Iron Fist. Two wealthy billionaires who come back from the dead to save a city that is littered with bad people and the good people too scared to do anything about it. The exception is Danny Rand found his way by accident while Bruce Wayne went looking for his special training. I give this season a 6 out of 10 because it’s slow and repetitive, but also the story can be confusing for people with no knowledge of the character. Iron Fist is a great end to the introductions of the characters and now everyone is ready for The Defenders.

Savings

I’m tired of this bullshit!

It’s a never ending cycle

because no matter how much I save

something always happens that

makes me waste my savings.

Tires go bad,

I go to the hospital,

computer needs repair,

phone needs repair,

hair needs to be cut,

toenails are ingrown,

loans have to be paid,

taxes go up,

gas goes up,

flu shots,

physicals,

birthdays,

anniversaries,

my girlfriend’s birthday,

car battery died,

cable bills,

oil changes,

health insurance,

life insurance,

dental plan,

did I eat today?

How will I ever save money?

I’ll never know.

I feel like a horse

in medieval times.

I haul shit for miles

only to get a couple of sips

at each end of the trip.

What’s the point of trying to save money?

Just because you have it in case shit happens

doesn’t mean you actually want shit to happen.

I’m going to go out to a bar

where guys go to see skanky girls

and shove 151 right down my throat.

At least this way,

I’ll feel that I’ve accomplished something

that I’ve wanted to do for a while

with my savings.

Lady with the Golden Hair

Hair as golden as the sun

 and lips as soft as pillows.

Eyes that are windows

to the gates of Heaven.

I would love to be lost

in your paradise.

I wish I could taste your cherry lips

and drink the juices within them.

Whenever she walks into a room,

the sunlight seems to dim.

When you open your mouth and sing,

you can make an opera silent.

With a simple touch of kindness,

you made a statue break out of his shell.

His blood raced through his veins again,

and his eyes filled with salty tears

at the sight of your smile.

I live today because of you then.

I go on now with the thought of seeing you again.

To hear your sweet voice call my name

and send chills through my body.

To feel the embrace

that can only be described as love.

Till I see you again,

my lady with the golden hair.

Love, Your Statue

It's Morphin Time for Fans but That's it.

Power Rangers is officially here after a whole year of anticipation and criticism. The reaction has been vastly mixed and for good reason; truth be told, I really wanted to hate this film but I couldn’t for several reasons. This review was particularly hard to write because I have to consider two worlds that exist when it comes to this film much like when comic book adaptions hit theaters. The world where people who have no idea what I’ll be talking about and the kids who grew up watching the series. That’s why this review will be mixed for each group that I just mentioned because the gap will be big.

When it was officially announced, the reaction was moderate at best because the last time the power rangers were on the big screen was back in the 90s with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. The film was a success because parents brought their kids and now those kids have grown up and are taking their kids to see this one. The only difference is back in the 90s the children loved it while the parents didn’t have enough aspirin, but those kids that grew up might have a problem with this one. I was enjoying it but only because I was a big fan but even I couldn’t ignore the problems. This is a win for some fans but a terrible bomb for anyone who has no knowledge of the show.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a show that first aired in 1993 and became an instant hit with children for several reasons. In truth, it has a resemblance to Voltron because it’s a show about five people who operate giant animal like robots that always come together to create a mega robot to end a fight. In this show, however, 5 teenagers are summoned to a building hidden on a hill by an ancient being known as Zordon with the help of his robot partner Alpha 5. The five teenagers then become the legendary team that unites to fight an evil witch by the name of Rita Repulsa. More threats would come obviously as the show progressed until fans would eventually get bored.

The reboot stays true to most of the key elements that made the show a hit but there are some changes that were made and the film benefited from. Zordon (Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad) and Rita (Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games) will have an origin story which adds much to the film because in the show, these two just showed up. The story is a very in depth character development that covers several issues as the teenagers suffer from universal experiences shared by certain groups. There’s plenty of comedy and action spread out so the audience doesn’t disconnect but there are some elements that make the film not family friendly for something that’s meant to be a kid’s film. One thing that definitely had all the fans smiling was seeing cameos by the first rangers throughout the film.

Those were the good issues of this film but there’s a lot of problems that even non-traditionalists would have an issue. The CGI for the Zords and Alpha 5 aren’t good, as well as the ranger’s outfits. Alpha 5 looks like a CGI nightmare but he’s saved by the comedic voice of Bill Hader, but nothing could save the look of the Zords because you could barely make out what they are. Another issue that raises eyebrows is the fact that these are “teenagers” who are having problems with life issues but when they repeatedly speak of “killing” Rita, they’re all comfortable with it. The biggest disappointments are Goldar who looks nothing like he did in the show and when it’s time for the Mega Zord to show up; it just shows up.

The focus on the film is primarily set on the Red Ranger/Jason and the Pink Ranger/Kimberly, which makes sense since those were the most popular ones next to the Green Ranger/Tommy. Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks did a great job living up to the characters from the series. Zordon was done well when he appeared on a holographic wall instead of a floating blurry face in a plastic tube. Elizabeth Banks killed it as Rita Repulsa because of scenes where she’s even made grown men jump in the theater, but when she starts looking for ways to resurrect Goldar is when the fans go, “Really?”

Despite its many flaws, Power Rangers is something that old fans and children can get into if they’re just looking for a good time. I will warn you that much like Iron Man, the rangers don’t come out till the near end of the film but that’s because of character development that had meaningful purposes. The film covered several issues that some youths are suffering from today so this film helps create some awareness which is a good thing. There is something in the mid credits so stay a little bit after if you want and it’ll be clear where the sequel will go if there is one. This is one of those reboots where it’s not clear what will happen but at least one sequel should come if enough money is made.

I really thought this reboot was going to be a bigger disaster than Ghostbusters last year but when the theme music hit, the fans approved. For the fans, it depends how open minded you are that will determine how much you enjoy this film. As a fan, I want to give this film a 7 out of ten because I didn’t mind the changes and it did follow most of the key elements but the execution is flawed. As a critic, the highest score is a three at best because for everyone that isn’t a fan, this film will lose you quick and that will lead to you walking out; so don’t waste your money. Power Rangers has the potential, but we’ll see how far it goes depending on how well it does at the box office.